The Growler Ontario • Volume 3 Issue 1 • Spring 2020

VOLUME

03 01 ISSUE

O N TA R I O

$3 C R A F T

Display until JUN. 15, 2020

B E E R

$3

g u i d e

O N TA R I O REGIONS COVERED IN THIS ISSUE NORTHERN & NORTHWEST ONTARIO

EASTERN ONTARIO

PUBLISHER Gail Nugent gnugent@thegrowler.ca EDITOR David Ort david@thegrowler.ca CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Crystal Luxmore CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ben Johnson Rob Mangelsdorf Jordan St. John Joe Wiebe PRODUCTION & DESIGN MANAGER Tara Rafiq tara@thegrowler.ca PHOTOGRAPHY David Ort COVER ILLUSTRATION Cynthia Frenette SOCIAL MEDIA David Ort ADVERTISING Matthew Laing-Gibbard matthew@thegrowler.ca DISTRIBUTION Craig Sweetman (Newsstand) SUBSCRIPTIONS on.thegrowler.ca/subscribe © The Growler 2020

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors and omissions. If you notice an error, please accept our apologies and notify us.

Published by Glacier Media Group thegrowler.ca @thegrowleron

COTTAGE COUNTRY HAMILTON, BRANT & WEST GTA CENTRAL WEST

KAWARTHAS, KINGSTON & PEC NORTH & EAST GTA TORONTO NIAGARA

SOUTHWEST

Contents

04 07 08 11 14 16 18 21 24 26 82

FREE BEER TOMORROW CROKINOLE HAPPIER BEER SHOPPING BREWER VS. BREWER: THE STEELTOWN EDITION THE WIDE WORLD OF WHEAT RECIPE: SPRING ORECCHIETTE TRAVEL: NEW CRAFT CITY GARAGE-BREWED GOLD BEER & MUSIC MASHUPS ONTARIO BREWERY LISTINGS BEER TO THE GROUND

Breweries by Region 26 TORONTO 35 NORTH & EAST GTA 38 HAMILTON, BRANT & WEST GTA 42 NIAGARA 44 CENTRAL WEST 54 SOUTHWEST 84 KAWARTHAS, KINGSTON & PEC 94 EASTERN ONTARIO 107 COTTAGE COUNTRY 115 NORTHERN & NORTHWEST ONTARIO Editor’s Note As the calendar turns over to February and we get set for the final stretches of winter it’s easier to see the new year beyond the clouds of resolutions and celebrations.

The season is full of opportunities to challenge expectations—be it with a local oatmeal stout for St. Patrick’s Day or a clean, food-friendly, Belgian-style tripel with the brunch you make for Mother’s Day. Mood and weather have a huge effect on what beer I want to drink and this season means exploring new territory. We’re in luck because Crystal Luxmore has a guide to shopping smartly for beer (pg. 8). And if you still can’t find something you like, consider joining a homebrew club to make your own—one day you might be entering an amateur competition (pg. 21).

A new year can also inspire us to look more closely at our finances and wonder what we’re paying for when we choose to buy craft. Ben Johnson finds out (pg. 4).

No matter what the weather, New York shines and we have your guide to planning a visit (pg. 18) full of interesting craft beer.

This issue also sees an updated and streamlined format for our brewery listing directory. Other than for our partners, we’re no longer publishing beer recommendations and news for the breweries in our directory, but will still have their essential details.

Join me in getting 2020 off to a great start filled with excellent beer. Cheers!

—David Ort, editor

LEGEND Brewery Details GROWLER FILLS BOTTLES / CANS BEER FOR SALE ONLINE TASTING ROOM ON-SITE KITCHEN OR FOOD TRUCK TOURS DOG-FRIENDLY GLUTEN-FREE BOOZE OPTIONS

Availability

B – brewery taproom L – licensed establishments, pubs, bars and restaurants LC – LCBO TBS – The Beer Store

Suggested Glassware STANGE Kolsch Alt Gose

PILSNER Lager Pilsner Witbier

NONIC PINT

Pale ale Stout and porter Most ales, actually

WEIZEN

Hefeweizen Weizenbock American wheat

TULIP

Saison Double IPA Strong ales

GOBLET

Dubbel Belgian strong Tripel

SNIFTER

Barley wine Quad Anything funky

FREE Rw BomEoE rro t

Ontario beer drinkers show their love via their wallets.

When they venture into the expensive end of the catalogue are they getting good value for their money?

by Ben Johnson

W

hen you first get into craft beer, your enthusiasm can make you behave as if money is no object. $22 bourbon barrel-aged stout? Better buy one to drink now and also one to age. $15 for 341-ml bottles of wild fermented cherry sours? Sign me up for a six-pack. $5 short cans of a double-dry hopped NEIPA? Is there a limit per person?? Who cares what these things cost? You can’t possibly miss out on this limited release!

Craft beer is exciting and interesting and there is seemingly no shortage of amazing-sounding beer that you must have. It’s easy for your excitement to push the limits of your daily withdrawal limit.

But, of course, this simply isn’t sustainable. At a certain point in your life, you tend to dial down the FOMO and start to prioritize things you really can’t avoid paying for—things like rent, car payments and diapers. And when that day comes (and it will come, gentle reader) you might find, as I have, that the actual price of your beer starts to be a larger factor in your purchase decision and you may start to wonder, as I have, why the hell is some beer so expensive?

4

First, it should be said that, in the realm of all liquids, beer is not really that expensive when you’re considering the price per ounce. The cost is nothing compared to, say, the cost of Chanel perfume ($2,785.79 per litre), printer ink ($713.14/litre) or even human blood ($396.30/litre). Expensive is a relative term, really.

But while it might not be fair (and it might be a little weird) to compare the cost of beer to the cost of bodily fluids, the evidence does seem to support my feeling that the cost of beer has risen substantially.

Consider how much fuss was made back in 2012, for example, when the Trappist beer Westvleteran XII (considered by some to be the “best beer in the world”) hit LCBO shelves for the shocking price of $75.40 for a six-pack. Newspapers covered the beer’s release and beer nerds were hotly divided on whether or not this highly regarded beer was worth the cost.

On a per-litre basis, the cost worked out to $38.08.

Considerably less than perfume, printer ink and blood, but these days that price wouldn’t even make it the highest priced beer at the LCBO. In fact,

‘Craft’ full flavoured beers target a different market segment, and would not be well served to participate at a buck.

—Kevin Meens, Cool Brewery there are currently 13 SKUs in the LCBO that work out to a higher price per litre than Westy.

As you might expect, imports top the increasingly pricy list: Oxbow Brewing Company’s farmhouse pale ale works out to $39.30 per litre, Oud Beersel Bvba Geuze Barrel Selection Oude Pijpen is $35.90, and way out in front is Brouwerij 3 Fontein’s 3 Fonteinen Hommage which, at $49.85 for a 750-ml bottle, works out to a whopping $66.47 per litre and earns the spot as the most expensive beer by volume in our province’s state-run liquor stores.

But it isn’t just the fancy-schmancy imports that seem to be breaking the bank. Many a “specialty craft” option weighs in at the fairly wallet stinging-area of 60 cents per ounce. London’s Forked River Flanders Red, Great Lakes Brewery’s Harry Porter, and Nickel Brook’s Glory & Gold are all

more than half the price of that storied Trappist beverage, for example.

The prices of “staple” styles seem to be climbing just as fast. It’s not unusual to see the cost of a can of IPA at the LCBO in the range of $4 or even $5.

At the other end of the spectrum, of course, a lot of “beer” can still be had quite inexpensively. Most of the mainstream macro beers are priced right around five bucks a litre. In the hyper-competitive world of utilitarian industrial lagers, a few cents can mean a pretty large shift in market share and so this fivedollars-per-litre mark is typically where you’ll find beers made in very large volumes that have likely been field-tested to find the sweet spot of affordability and profitability for their parent companies.

Budweiser and Molson Canadian, for example are in this pricing segment. A slew of beers at the LCBO clock in near the four-dollars-per-litre mark, including not just a handful of value brands like Molson’s Carling Ice and Old Style Pilsner, but also some “craft” brands like Cool Brewing Co’s Cool Lager and some Brick Brewing beers. And, of course, there are the few now-infamous “buck-abeer” offerings that are available the lowest possible price by law. Barley Days Brewery’s Loonie Lager, at $1.10 for a 355ml format, is available for just $3.10 per litre, making it the least expensive beer by volume in the province. So why the disparity?

Kevin Meens works in Corporate Development for Toronto’s Cool Brewery, one of just three brewers in the province, along with Brick and President’s Choice (aka No Name), to take advantage of the province’s new rock-bottom price floor and offer one dollar beers. He says it’s not really fair to compare discount beer prices with the rest of the market. “ ‘Craft’ full-flavoured beers target a different market segment,” he says, “and would not be well served to participate at a buck.”

He also admits that the value in offering a dollar beer isn’t going to be profit for the company that opts to sell their product for such a low price, but rather that the value is in “guaranteed increased awareness, interest, trial, and media/word of mouth sharing of buck-a-beer events.” In other words, for many brewers offering deeply discounted beer, the strategy is to offer the beer as a loss leader or to leverage the gimmick of buck-a-beer to drum up publicity for the brewery.

Some Ontario breweries, like Nickel Brook, specialize in covering both ends of the price spectrum. David Ort photo

5

LEFT: Sam Adams is another import that made headlines—with their annual release of Utopias at $110.75 for a 710-ml bottle. RIGHT: At $7.95 for 500 ml, Fuller's vintage is a more reasonable “collector beer.” David Ort photos

The more expensive craft beers in Ontario can be priced the way they are because they really are specialty products being marketed to a specific market segment. Kyle Teichart is a co-founder of the (very) small-batch brewery Half Hours on Earth located in Seaforth, Ontario. Teichart’s beers, like Cosmic Perspective, Into the Groovy, and Persistence of Memory enjoy fairly high regard among craft beer aficionados and, at an average price of about $25 per litre, his company is likely making the priciest beer by volume in Ontario.

“Economies of scale, amount of ingredients, and production time are the main factors that go into our pricing,” Teichart says. “We are incredibly tiny even compared to most ‘small-batch’ breweries. We have added costs to ingredients, packaging materials, as well as the shipping costs to get them to our [brewery]. We’re also usually known for our heavily-fruited oak-aged sours, and we assume we’re on the high end for the overall amount of ingredients that go into our average beer. For instance, our fruiting rates for our oak-aged sours typically start

Economies of scale, amount of ingredients, and production time are the main factors that go into our pricing. —Kyle Teichart, Half Hours on Earth 6

around 360g/litre, topping out with Blue Thunder with 630g of blueberries per litre of beer in our latest batch. With our batch sizes being anywhere from 100 litres to 450 litres, it is not a lot of beer.”

In other words, a lot of Teichart’s speciality beers feature considerable volume of ingredients that aren’t actually beer. Additionally, brewers that are attempting to offer up something more unique than a fizzy yellow beer that is easy to drink when ice cold also have to factor in the possibility that some of their experiments don’t actually work. “Given the amount of oak-aged beers and/or beers with new ingredients or even new styles that we create,” Teichart says, “there is some beer that does not get released, likely a larger percentage than the average brewery. The time and cost of those beers need to be factored into what does get released. And we have very strict standards for the beer that makes it to our customers.”

So while it’s easy to gripe about beer pricing—as I often do—there might not be legitimate reason to complain. The Ontario beer industry is increasingly competitive and so one might argue that there is little room for brewers who would seek to offer beer with a price that isn’t supported by the quality of what’s in the can. It may not be Chanel number 5 or a vial of O Positive, but the price, it would seem, is likely justified. In other words, when it comes to beer, as it is with most things, you tend to get what you pay for. j

Canada’s contribution to brewery good times

B

by David Ort

eer writers hear quite often from people about their own local breweries. This is a wonderful view of how important the buildings have become as homes for more than just beer-making equipment.

New parents love the Wednesday afternoons with playtime and pilsner. Yoga classes augmented by the aroma of stewing barley seem universally popular. And, of course, the list also includes painting workshops and introductory succulents seminars.

Personally, I’d rather spend my time locked in competition with a few friends (old or newfound) while working my way through a tasting flight of sample glasses. Games go with taprooms because they play to all the strengths of the space.

Compared to bars, they are quieter, better-lit and generally have fresher beer.

My first visit to Sawdust City’s home in Gravenhurst inspired the thought that this is the kind of place I could comfortably spend an afternoon in.

The chairs look like someone’s (talented) grandfather built them, there is a rack of personalized mugs behind the bar and—most of all—plenty of the quiet wood-on-wood “thwack” that can only mean one thing: crokinole.

In the race to be the most Canadian game, Crokinole has a very long lead. Its history dates back to just after Confederation. And according to the Wikipedia page, the first crafted board was given as a fifth birthday gift around 1870. Tavistock, Ontario hometown of Eckhardt Wettlaufer, the builder of that early board, is still home to the Crokinole World Championship.

The sleekly modern board at Great Lakes. David Ort photo

There are a few characteristics of the game that make it so well-suited for taproom play. From picnic tables to barrels, it can balance on a wide variety of tables. Unlike pool or darts it takes up less room and offers less risk of drunken injury.

And like all great cultural keepsakes, crokinole brings us together by setting us apart. I’ve played it at Brothers in Guelph, Anderson Craft Ales in London and at Great Lakes in Etobicoke, amongst others. But never outside Ontario.

And, games are to breweries as magazines are to doctors’ offices—they need to be relevant and kept up-to-date. So, let’s put crokinole in the spotlight!

I’d love to see Ontario craft breweries give it the attention it deserves. Why not crokinole leagues instead of euchre? Or let’s see more tutorials on refining the flicking technique.

If you haven’t tried crokinole, join friends at a taproom near you and give it a shot. If you’re a seasoned pro, maybe it’s time to try your hand at building your own board? j

7

Happier beer shopping With over 6,000 beers in Ontario and counting… how do you choose?

Advanced Cicerone® Crystal Luxmore shares her pro shopping tips.

by Crystal Luxmore

S

helley Beirnes, a former brewer and now Technical Sales Manager at Brewer’s Supply Group, is one of the most beloved people working in beer in Canada. So, when she threw a 40th birthday party at her house, her guests came laden with “special” beers. Bottles and cans of various sizes from all over the world soon lined her front porch.

“There must have been 35 different types of beer on my porch,” she says. And while her industry buddies had no problem choosing what they wanted, her other pals were paralyzed by choice and kept asking Shelley what they should try.

8

We are faced with a similarly dizzying array of options whenever we shop for beer in Ontario these days. There are over 300 breweries in Ontario, many of them making dozens of different beers each year. The LCBO has 1,570 beers in its stores, and another 1,490 available to order online. Plus, there are thousands more beers available directly from breweries that never make it to the LCBO or The Beer Store.

These numbers aren’t tracked anywhere, but my conservative calculation is: 350 breweries each making 10 beers per year that don’t go into the LCBO, that’s an additional 3,500 beers that can

Unlimited choice seems more attractive in theory than in practice.

—Dr. Sheena Iyengar

be picked up at a taproom, or mail-ordered, any day of the week. And the numbers are likely much higher than that.

That takes us to nearly 7,000 beers to choose from in Ontario. All of this choice is something that brewers and drinkers have fought for in Ontario since Prohibition crushed small breweries 100 years ago, leaving us just 10 breweries controlling 96 per cent of the market by the early 1980s.

We love to celebrate this newfound variety in beer: beer bars seem to compete for the highest number of taps, and last year the team at Sawdust City challenged themselves to brew a new beer every week for the entire year — taking it to a gruelling total of 69 beers made at just one small Gravenhurst brewery in 2019.

So, consumers, blessed with the opportunity to purchase any of several thousand beers, must be happier than ever before, right? Not so much.

The irony is with more variety than at any time in Ontario’s history, shoppers often feel the least satisfied with the choices they make.

“Unlimited choice seems more attractive in theory than in practice,” said Dr. Sheena Iyengar in a 2019 TED Talk. Iyengar is the author of The Art of Choosing and a business professor at Columbia University. “My research shows repeatedly that when you give people ten or more options when they’re making a choice they make poorer decisions,” she says.

Iyengar has conducted numerous experiments and studies on choice. In 2000, she published results of these studies, including the now-famous “jam study,” which invited supermarket shoppers to sample jam varieties, all from the same producer.

Customers who were invited to sample six jams were more likely to buy a jam and also reported being happier with their choice, than those who

were invited to sample 30 different jams. The reason why is simple: FOMO—the fear that you made the wrong choice, or could have made an even better choice—diminishes when you have fewer products to choose from in the first place.

Does this mean the craft beer revolution got it wrong? That we’d all be happier if the big breweries still had a headlock on the market, limiting our choices to a couple of dozen brews? The steady increase of craft beer sales indicates otherwise. And when the stakes are low (say choosing four beers to buy for the weekend, as opposed to choosing where to invest our savings for retirement), choosing doesn’t feel as stressful. But if we apply these insights on choice, they can help us shop for beer more easily, and feel happier about what ends up in our six-packs.

The first strategy is to limit that endless variety.

Here are my tips to help you narrow down your options:

STRATEGY #1: Shop at taprooms

Taprooms are the best places to buy beer in Ontario. Why? The beer is fresh and cold, you can sample before buying, and your choices are limited to what that brewery makes. Plus, the experience is miles above shopping for beer elsewhere: staff are educated and passionate about beer and the best ones are buzzing with the energy of other beer lovers.

STRATEGY #2: Ask a tastemaker

The best beer bars in Ontario get solicited by new breweries on a daily basis—and they taste a ton of beer. Hack their expertise by looking at their menus—note breweries and beers that keep popping up—and add those to your shopping list. Many of them aren’t in the LCBO or Beer Store, but you can order them directly from the brewery, and there’s nothing like getting a box of delicious, unusual beer on your doorstep. Beer bars I’d recommend looking at are Wvrst and Bar Hop in Toronto, Bar Lupulus in Ottawa, Arabella Park in Kitchener, and the Red Lion Smokehouse in Thunder Bay.

STRATEGY #3: Buy cold

The only difference between stale bread and stale beer is that stores don’t give you a discount on stale beer. From a taste perspective, they’re equally horrible. Over time a few things happen: first,

9

Found a beer you dig?

Check the date code before you buy it. hop aromas fall off, then hop flavours and bitterness fades, then the malt character shifts from a bready flavour to a sweeter, honey or caramel note.

After that, you’ll actually taste stale flavours, like old cardboard or chalkboard dust.

All beer stales over time, but refrigeration slows the rate of aging down dramatically. A Miller Coors study found a beer stored at room temperature for a month tasted just as stale as a beer that was stored in the refrigerator at 1 C for a year. So, limit your choices by only buying beers from the refrigerated section. Cold storage is the number one way to keep beer fresh longer. If you’re buying beer in a grocery store without refrigeration—don’t shop for beer there anymore. Ever.

This rule limits your choices to breweries, The Beer Store and about one-third of the beer in the average LCBO. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule: Higher alcohol beers, (say 9% and above) that are not hop-forward, like imperial stouts and porters, or Belgian quads or tripels, and also bottle-conditioned styles (most Belgian styles, and wild ales) can be quite nice when aged and are brewed to last for years, so these are OK to pick up off the shelf.

STRATEGY #4: Buy fresh

Found a beer you dig? Check the date code before you buy it. This isn’t a concern for the high-alcohol beers that I just described, but where you want to check date codes like a boss is on any hop-forward beer like pale ales and IPAs. Fresh is best on most beer styles, but especially those with delicate flavours like pilsners, helleses, blondes and kölsches. Grab these within six to eight weeks of the “packaged on” date (usually stamped on the bottom of the can).

10

STRATEGY #5: Make a game plan before you go Do you find yourself always falling back on the same beer, even though you want to try new stuff ?

Decide to try a new style of beer before you go— like a saison, sour or brown ale—and buy a few different examples from different breweries. This limits your choices (and your FOMO).

STRATEGY #6: Get educated & take notes

Becoming an expert in any field makes choosing a lot easier, according to Iyengar’s studies. Learn the basics of beer styles and taste by reading my favourite beer book of all time—Randy Mosher’s Tasting Beer (get the second edition). Or if you’ve read this one and want to go deeper, try Jeff Alworth’s equally entertaining The Beer Bible. Keep track of beers you loved and hated to narrow down your options: Untappd is a great app for this, notebooks work too. j

VERSUS

BREWER BREWER STEELTOWN EDITION

Hamilton is a hot spot for Ontario’s craft beer and Merit and Clifford are leading the way

W

by David Ort

hen I ask Ontario brewers about the beer they drink, many cop to being too busy to sample widely. They tell me that when they’re not drinking their own stuff, they fall back on established favourites.

Pressed to name names for who makes those standbys, none come up more often than Aaron Spinney and Brad Clifford.

AARON SPINNEY

These two head brewers lead small brewing teams at two of Ontario’s best-known and successful breweries. But, day to day, they both still have a hand firmly on the mash paddle.

Aaron Spinney—or just Spinney to almost everyone—left a prime gig as head brewer at Sawdust City to start Merit with partners Tej Sandhu and Jesse Vallins. Since opening in May 2017, they have become a thriving brewpub, drawing beer (and sausage) connoisseurs to the James Street strip in downtown Hamilton.

After leaving his nanobrewery at Get Well in Toronto to move to Hamilton, Brad Clifford spent a few years searching for the perfect location to build a production-size brewery. About six months after Merit did, he threw open the doors on his taproom in East Hamilton.

BRAD CLIFFORD

The attention on Hamilton’s beer scene really came into focus in last May when Clifford took home brewery of the year at the Canadian Brewing Awards. So, naturally, we talked about awards, but we also found out what their day looks like and the beer styles they’re excited about at the moment. Of course, they both had high praise for their Steeltown neighbours.

11

The science behind the use of hops has totally changed our perspective.

—Aaron Spinney, Merit Brewing

GROWLER: What’s your day like at the head of a brewing team? How has it changed in the few years since you opened?

SPINNEY: Opening a brewpub was a dream Tej and I were working on three years prior to opening. I was working at Sawdust before that and as we got everything going we decide to keep it small, at first at least.

I had to reestablish [at Merit] and I really had to prove it, prove to myself. So I tried to take on every role in the brewing process for the first year and a half, which worked out but then, obviously, growth starts to happen so you start to burn out pretty quickly.

March 27 was our first brew and I didn’t take a day off until I had a buddy’s bachelor party on Labour Day weekend. It was a great way to start, but I feel like at some you just start having a hard time trying to find the energy for the smaller details and processes and tweaking and stuff so last January we ended up hiring another brewer CLIFFORD: It’s a lot of managing how to do projects because we’re growing pretty fast. I’ve always gotta find more efficient ways to do things.

With growler fills and top-notch food, Merit really is a classic, you-have-to-visit brewpub experience.

I’m actually doing some training as well. I have a new hire right now who is washing kegs and we’re gonna brew our Vienna lager tomorrow morning.

I am the owner, manager—everything, pretty much—face of the brewery and I’m also still the head brewer. I do have a brewing assistant, which is very helpful.

It’s a mix every day. I end up getting involved with every aspect of everything going on all the time.

GROWLER: Do you have a flagship beer? Is that an important idea for your brewery?

SPINNEY: It definitely matters for sure. Especially in this constantly growing market. We have an IPA called Young Rival that’s our flagship.

We’re really proud of the idea that it’s constantly evolving, not just with ingredients and what we’re learning but also with the trends and the new science coming out, too. Not only have we adjusted the yeast we use over the last couple of years but hopping rates. And also different ratios of grain with more oats and wheat to create more of that haze. So we were out in front of that even though it’s a flagship brand and we’re really proud of it.

We’re also happy to tell everyone that this is going to change for the better because it’s a project that Porter is a constant for Clifford—and the only beer in the lineup that doesn’t reference their East Hamilton home.

12

we want to continue to evolve with and learn new skills. The science behind the use of hops has totally changed our perspective. When Sammy [Corbeil] and I were brewing together at Sawdust we were focusing on hot side and putting everything in the kettle or the whirlpool. And now all the science is going to cold side fermentation and dry hopping—you have to grow with it.

CLIFFORD: Our flagship is definitely still porter.

It’s our number one LCBO seller. I’m brewing more porter than any other beer. Through the spring and summer, even, I would say we average 100 hectolitres of porter.

I do tinker with a bit. Out of all my recipes, it’s probably the most consistent. I’ve been brewing it since I was homebrewing. and while all those years helped it grow, It is the exact same recipe.

Clifford says Devil’s Punchbowl was developed when he dry-hopped leftover East Hamilton lager. David Ort photo

all the time and Grain and Grit. We follow each other closely and it seems like there’s a lot of similarities. The quality is continuously growing which is amazing and that’s where the opportunity is.

GROWLER: What’s on the horizon?

I was as surprised as anyone to find out that we won brewery of the year. I’m still surprised.

—Brad Clifford, Clifford Brewing

GROWLER: Are beer awards worth it? Brad, have you seen a bump since winning at the CBAs? SPINNEY: As a branding,marketing and consumer standpoint the general public finds it fascinating.

We don’t enter. It’s just so expensive.

From a Canadian standpoint, they are gaining some respect. It’s nice to see awards. We’re not brewing beer for that reason.

CLIFFORD: The big thing is we’re doing a lot more live music here. My brother, who’s a musician, is booking bands from around Hamilton and also up from the States. A mix of Americana, rock, rockabilly. It’s bringing in a lot of people and I love music—partly because I used to play drums.

SPINNEY: We’re really pushing the boundaries.

We have a unique opportunity being on the doorstep of Niagara. I love wine. I like hanging out with winemakers. We love doing these hybrids.

We just put out two white-wine lagers, which are fantastic. An orange wine concept with a rice lager base. These are something that we’re going to slowly release over the year. We’ll have a gamayrosé-gose hybrid. We’re going to put it in clear bottles since there’s no hops. j

CLIFFORD: I can see their perspective.But it’s nice to be recognized for high quality. Obviously, there are hundreds or thousands of entries from breweries who do enter and do care. I’ve said: “They don’t care when they don’t win and they do care when do they win.” I’m the same way.

I was as surprised as anyone to find out that we won brewery of the year. I’m still surprised.

GROWLER: Hamilton is great for drinkers because of choice—what’s it like brewing there?

SPINNEY: They need a bag of sugar, we’re their neighbour. Super happy to work with Fairweather

Spinney on flagship IPAs: “They’re like caesar salad... if you can’t make a good one, the rest of the menu is going to suck.”

13

The wide world of wheat B

iStock photo

by Joe Wiebe

eer, at its most basic level, is a waste product produced by uncountable millions of yeast cells as they chew their way through a sugary slurry (called “wort”) that brewers prepare for their feasting. Those fermentable sugars can be derived from a wide variety of starches and grains, but malted barley has long been used as the primary brewing grain.

witbiers. And this is why today’s craft brewers seem to be using wheat more and more often in a variety of beer styles, especially hazy IPAs and pale ales.

But why barley and not wheat? The earliest brewers in Babylonia and Egypt used wheat to make beer. However, the beer that our ancient ancestors drank was more of a boozy porridge, not really the same beverage we appreciate today. That’s because most of the proteins in wheat are glutens, and while those gummy, gluey, elastic proteins are ideal for making bread dough, they are not as well suited for making beer. Wheat also lacks certain enzymes that help convert unfermentable starches into fermentable sugars. And finally, it doesn’t have a husk, which can make brewing with wheat a challenging process.

This quintessential German wheat beer is a classic Bavarian style that is brewed by most if not all breweries in Germany. The name “hefeweizen” literally translates as “yeast-wheat,” and that speaks to what defines this beer. In Germany, it must be brewed with at least 50 per cent malted wheat, but that ratio is often closer to 60-70 per cent, resulting in its pillowy soft texture and thick, creamy head of foam. The beer’s definitive banana/clove/bubblegum flavour profile comes from the characteristic yeast, a warm-fermenting ale variant that has been used in Germany for centuries. Today, if you travel in Germany you will generally find three core beer styles everywhere you go: helles (light lager), dunkel (dark lager) and weissbier, which translates as “white beer,” but is used interchangeably with hefeweizen. You might also encounter dunkelweizen (dark wheat beer) or kristalweizen, which is filtered for clarity.

There is a positive side to wheat’s protein composition: it enhances foam stability, which results in a bigger, longer-lasting head on the beer. That’s one of the reasons why German and Belgian brewers have long used it as a complementary ingredient in several iconic styles, such as hefeweizens and

14

Here is a look at some beer styles that use wheat in a variety of ways.

Hefeweizen

Berliner WeissE Once the most popular beer style in Berlin, this light and tart wheat beer nearly disappeared in the 20th century before being revitalized as part of the craft beer movement. Typically very low in alcohol content (~3% ABV), the original brewing method did not involve boiling the mash, which must have led to some natural sourness. Contemporary brewers use Lactobacillus bacteria to sour the beer.

The grain bill usually includes up to 30 per cent malted wheat, mainly for the creamy mouth feel and fluffy head.

Gose Another German style that has become popular in recent years, gose’s defining character isn’t so much the fact that is brewed with wheat, but rather that it is slightly sour and salty. Typically, it is brewed with at least 50 per cent malted wheat, just like hefeweizen, but the type of yeast used does not impart the same sort of distinctive character. Souring comes from inoculation with Lactobacillus bacteria, and salt and coriander are also added.

Belgian witbier Although similar to hefeweizen, this Belgian cousin is typically brewed with unmalted wheat, and sometimes other grains such as oats or spelt, as well as spices like coriander and orange peel.

The use of unmalted wheat results in a stronger grain flavour, as well as cloudiness and, once again, a fluffy, foamy head. Much of the flavour comes from the specific Belgian strain of yeast, and a slight acidic tang might also be present; traditional Belgian brewers encourage a small amount of lactic acid production by letting the mash rest at a tepid temperature for an extended period of time.

Belgian lambic Traditional sour beers in the Brussels area known as lambic beers are brewed with at least 30 per cent unmalted wheat. Apparently, one of the reasons this is done is to provide extra proteins and other nutrients to help ensure the vitality of the various microorganisms (yeast and bacteria) over months or even years of slow fermentation.

Wheat wine This American take on the traditional British barley wine style was apparently first brewed accidentally in the mid-1980s by a couple of California home brewers who put too much wheat in a batch of barleywine. The result tasted great,

Wheat beers, like the traditional German hefeweizen, are characterized by their creamy mouthfeel and pillowy head. iStock photo

and later, when one of them became a professional brewer, he recreated the recipe at the brewery and it became a hit. Today, it is still quite obscure, but a few Ontario breweries produce one from time to time. Basically, it is a strong ale (8-14% ABV) that is brewed with 40-60 per cent wheat to give it a softer texture and lighter flavour.

Hazy IPAs Wheat is often employed in hazy IPAs to encourage the hazy character as well as to punch up the head retention. Brewers use wheat, along with oats and various types of barley, to give hazy beers a complex mouthfeel. Some brewers even use wheat flour to enhance the haziness. j

Required drinking Wheat // Side Launch Brewing Wag the Wolf // Beau’s Haberdasher Hefeweizen // Muddy York Brewing Waterfront Wit // Walkerville Brewery Beat the Heat Belgian Wheat // Black Oak Das Spritzhaus Hefeweizen // Abe Erb Stone Road White Ale // Bench Brewing Bobo Farmhouse Wheat // Matron Fine Beer

15

RECIPE

Spring Orecchiette

from The Beer Lover’s Table Paired with Left Field's Bang-Bang

BY CLAIRE BULLEN

W

hen spring finally rolls around in Ontario, we’re so starved for sunshine and a good reason to drink beer that we tend to get ahead of ourselves. Who hasn’t found themselves on a patio in April, wrapped inside a cardigan and shivering the moment the sun goes behind a cloud?

16

Claire Bullen’s recipe—from the award-winning book she wrote with Jen Ferguson—is verdant spring on a plate. Between asparagus, peas and ramps she checks all of the early-season-produce boxes. And, if nature doesn’t cooperate and one of that trio isn’t in-season yet, you could get away with subbing in more of the other two.

More variety and prominence for kettle sours means that we have a new beer style for spring.

The dry-hopping in Bang-Bang ties the beer even more tightly to the green flavours on the plate.

For my money, I’d rather spend a sunny and temptingly warm April day with around a table covered with dishes of pasta and glasses of beer.

—David Ort

I N g r ed i ents • 1 stick unsalted butter, divided

• 1 cup (100g) blanched almonds, roughly chopped

• 1 tsp dried culinary lavender, plus extra to garnish • 1 lb (450g) dried orecchiette pasta

• 1/2 bunch asparagus (woody ends removed), cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 ⅓ cups (200g) shelled peas • Small bunch of ramps

• 4 ½ oz (125g) goat cheese, divided • Zest of 1 lemon

• Sea salt and black pepper

• Freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

d i r ecti o ns 1. Melt 7 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chopped almonds. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the almonds are toasted. When the butter has darkened and smells nutty pour the buttery almonds into a bowl to cool. Add the lavender and stir.

2. Cook pasta in well-salted, boiling water for about 10 minutes or until al dente.

3. While the pasta is cooking, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the asparagus and peas, and cook for 3–5 minutes, or until the vegetables are bright green and just tender. Roughly tear the ramps leaves and add to the skillet, stirring until they begin to wilt (about 30 seconds).

4. Drain the pasta, reserving approximately ½ cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the

OPPOSITE PAGE: Orecchiette pairs with the veg-heavy sauce. TOP: The Beer Lover’s Table by Claire Bullen with Jen Ferguson, published by Dog ‘n’ Bone Books. BOTTOM: Bang-Bang is an all-year favourite at Left Field. Recipe and cover photo by Stephen Conroy © Dog ‘n’ Bone Books

pan, tip in the asparagus, pea, and ramps mix, and toss to combine.

6. Strain the lavender-flavoured butter from the almonds into the pasta, then add half the reserved cooking water and crumble in three-quarters of the goat cheese. Stir until a light sauce forms, adding small amounts of cooking water if necessary to help the sauce bind. Season to taste.

7. Divide the pasta among plates, crumbling over the remaining goat cheese and adding the lemon zest, toasted almonds, extra lavender, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.

Sprinkle with the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and serve immediately. j

17

New craft City The view of Manhattan and the Queensboro bridge is soon forgotten as your discover the inventive and creative beer near Hunter’s Point in Long Island City and Brooklyn. Julienne Schaer/NYC & Company photo

Get to the outer boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn to find some of the most creative craft breweries in the United States

T

by David Ort

he space for New York City in everyone’s imagination is already pretty full. That’s partly because it does such a wonderful job of promoting itself—I can think of more cultural references to individual bridges in New York City than certain other major cities—but also because of the variety of experiences.

NYC boroughs seem to take turns in the spotlight.

As Manhattan completed its revitalization in the 2000s, Brooklyn became the centre of the hipster world. And now that ad agency directors are the only creatives in that part of town, Queens is the new darling for early adopters.

Throughout these transformations (and much further back through New York’s waves of immigration) beer has played an outsize role.

18

Back in the early 2010s, Beer School: Bottling Success at Brooklyn Brewery was one of the first beer books I read. It’s remarkable that Steve Hindy and Tom Potter were already writing about their craft beer success in 2007.

Food & Beer is another signpost of New York’s rarefied love of beer. It’s a high-gloss cookbook created as a collaboration by the brewer at Tørst and the chef of Luksus. Fittingly, it’s in New York that beer finally took a seat at the fine-dining table.

Luksus closed in 2016, but for a few years, it was the poster child for craft beer in restaurants. In 2014, it became the first restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star without pouring wine or liquor— instead, each course on the tasting menu was paired with a different beer.

LEFT: Brooklyn Brewery makes a dizzying array of beers from coal-black stouts to tropical, heat-beaters like Bel Air Sour.

RIGHT: The cult-ish following is never more apparent than at their special events. Supplied photos

Others have taken up the challenge and new breweries have joined Brooklyn on their mission to make some elbow room amongst the wine bars and brown-liquor speakeasies.

Look also for Black Ops (11.5% ABV), an annual take on a Russian imperial stout. For 2019, they managed to hide an entire black forest cake (tastewise, at least) in each bottle of opaque goodness.

You won’t find too many sprawling beer gardens or production breweries in Mannhattan these days.

But, luckily, the Queensboro, one of those movie-star bridges, will take you to a neighbourhood in Long Island City (yes, that’s still very much in NYC) with six breweries within easy walking distance of each other.

Other Half

Brooklyn Brewery

Where some breweries make a style or two that pushes the borders of what beer is expected to taste like, Other Half slams on the afterburners as they cross into airspace usually reserved for everything from smoothies to wine to milkshakes.

Having clocked more than 25 years of selling beer, Brooklyn Brewery deserves a spot on the list of essential American craft breweries. And it’s not just a beer factory. Their dashing brewmaster, Garrett Oliver is the author of Brewmaster’s Table and the editor of The Oxford Companion to Beer so it should come as no surprise that his brewery offers a complete experience.

The headquarters in Williamsburg (they also have an upstate outpost at the Culinary Institute of America) is a must-visit for the history mixed with innovation. Try to stick to what you can only get on-site—that means veering away from Brooklyn lager.)

You’re in luck if one of the Brooklyn Quarterly Experiments or something from the Brewmaster’s Reserve programme is pouring. Bel Air Sour (5.8% ABV) is a year-rounder that graduated from the BR. It combines the tartness from their house strain of lacto with tropical fruit from simcoe and amarillo hops.

After paying respects at the OG, we’re off deeper into the borough. Three decades of gentrification have pushed brewery founders from areas like Williamsburg to neighbourhoods like Industry City, where Other Half runs their gritty-aroundthe-edges operation.

Broccoli (7.9% ABV) is an imperial IPA made with a quartet of hops that give it a smooth citrus profile to match its opaque haziness. If you feel you need to ease gently into the hop-dominated madness, Forever Ever (4.7% ABV) is their session IPA, but it still packs in five hop varieties and fits into the juicy, tropical New England-style family.

And if you want to preview your trip to New York there is an option closer to home. Other Half bought an old brewery across the lake in Rochester and converted it. Think the same wacky beer styles at a more relaxed pace.

Alewife Brewpub

What’s the difference between Brooklyn and Long Island City? Fresher tattoos and even more tech companies with offices in old warehouses.

19

Once you’re done at Fifth Hammer there are four more breweries in this part of Queens—Rockaway, ICONYC, Big Alice and LIC Beer Project— that are worth a visit. The best part is that it will only take a half-hour walk for the grand tour.

Where else to go

With Broadway and world-class shopping (and hundreds of other attractions) Manhattan beckons those who can’t leave on beer alone. We get it.

The Jeffrey NYC is at 60th Street under the Queensboro bridge. Inside this rustic-looking bar they have an exceptional beer list that covers strong ales from Belgium, cult IPAs from California and whatever’s in-season from NYC breweries.

Further downtown on Bleeker, Blind Tiger is a 24-year-old institution. Nearly 30 taps pour outstanding brews from (mainly) the northeastern U.S. You’ll also find a deeper-than-average food menu of bar favourites.

ABOVE: The original John's in Greenwich Village is still the best slice. Supplied photo BELOW: Fifth Hammer strikes an eclectic mix with their 15 in-house taps. Molly Flores photo

Plus LIC is the home to the current boom in New York City’s craft beer scene.

The beer menu splits between taps from other breweries and the house options. Among the latter there are plenty of IPAs (including the double and dry-hopped variety) but Thousand Stars pilsner (5.2% ABV) has a good malt backbone that helps refresh the hop-tired palate. Meadow Maker (7.5% ABV) is a smooth, New England-style reintroduction to IPAs with notes of peaches and tropical fruit.

With everything from Buffalo fried pickles to the Mother Clucker fried chicken sandwich, this is a tough spot to stick to just beer at.

Fifth Hammer Brewing

Next stop north is relative newcomer Fifth Hammer. It’s a casual space anchored by a long bar and with plenty of seating.

Fruited sours like Palate Pigment (5.2% ABV) are a mainstay on the good-sized list of creative options. You’ll also find a seasonal focus like the Iron Lotus (10.5% ABV) porter for the end of winter. Their 4-oz. taster glasses are a great way to tour the catalogue.

20

For a pint before you pick up a few bottles to take home, Top Hops Beer Shop should be your go-to.

They cover a wide range including New York options like Other Half, Finback and Sixpoint.

I could ramble on for pages about pizza and hot dogs—two classics from the New York cannon. In a nutshell: get a slice from John’s on Bleeker Street and, on a nice day at least, it’s worth the trip to Coney Island for the Nathan’s dog.

Where to Stay

Expensive cities have expensive hotel rooms. So, for my money, you have two options. Either hunt for a good deal at one of the iconic Manhattan piles (the Algonquin, Pierre, Warwick, Roosevelt and Washington Square have patina without the sky-high price tag) or snag an AirBnB in LIC.

Getting to NYC

Newark’s airport has the connection (via Porter) to the island airport in Toronto. In the unlikely event that you swing a flight through JFK, BKLYN offers 20 good beers on tap and top-notch food by chef Laurent Toroundel. The (slightly bizarre) consolation prize at LaGuardia is an outpost by the Boston Beer Company, makers of Sam Adams and fans of the Boston Red Sox. The subway system is vastly cleaner and safer than it was in the days of Serpico and Taxi Driver. Now you’re more likely to need to keep your wits about you to avoid accidentally getting on an express train. j

d e w e r b Garage

gold

Making beer you love is a rewarding experience— especially when actual judges recognize its greatness

H

by Jordan St. John

omebrewing is a perennially popular hobby, albeit one that has gone through peaks and troughs over time. Making beer by yourself at home is an involving process that can be fun and interesting, but the best part is sharing that beer with other people. Someone has to drink the five gallons of homebrew, and no matter how attractive going it alone may seem at first blush, eventually you’re going to crave variety.

For this reason, homebrew groups have long been an important resource for the zymurgically bent.

These organizations tend to be run by passionate individuals in their spare time, which means that unfortunately, they can fall off the map at any time. Groups like CABA (the Canadian Amateur Brewers Association) and SOB (Southern Ontario Brewers) have come and gone, but the individual members tend to have amateur brewing careers that span the lifetimes of multiple groups.

GTA Brews currently holds the title as the largest homebrew association in Canada, and may very possibly be the largest in the country’s history.

With 2,350 members on their Facebook group, GTA Brews is a phenomenal resource not just to learn about homebrewing, but for conversations about all things beer.

This popularity is particularly impressive when you consider that the group began with five members in 2013, and featured something like two beers from each member at the first club meeting. The January 2020 get-together at Toronto’s Muddy York Brewing will be attended by about 70 members, each of whom is likely to bring two or three of their recent efforts.

Lest you think of it merely as a drinking club, there are also presentations on highly technical matters including club president Eric Cousineau

21

A medal from the GTA-Brews-run Brew Slam can be the push an amateur needs to join the pro ranks. Supplied photo

delivering the fifth iteration of his research on brewing water chemistry, a presentation on bock beers by longtime member Emily Storey, and special guest, Lizanne Pharand from Toronto Water.

Looking ahead through 2020, the majority of the meetings scheduled are of this calibre. The online record for these talks (gtabrews.ca/presentations) is one of the best sets of brewing information available for amateurs.

Most importantly, however, is their annual competition: The GTA Brew Slam. It’s the largest amateur brewing contest in Canada, and, despite the name, features national competition in a plethora of styles. For 2019, the number of paid entries reached an incredible 819 out of the 850 cap maintained by the organizers, with the most popular category being Standard IPA. A whopping 281 separate participants entered the competition, with a restriction to two entries per participant in the first week of registration to ensure that everyone gets a kick at the can. That rule

It’s not unreasonable to suggest that Brew Slam garners more respect than the Ontario Brewing Awards and Canadian Brewing Awards in international circles.

22

update came after three participants had entered 40 beers each in a previous competition.

All of this effort requires 14 members of the organization to take on different administrative roles for the judging in order to make the event work. There’s a head judge, head steward, cellar master, and registrar, not to mention a team of 134 volunteers and 77 BJCP certified judges, all of whom provide detailed feedback. It’s currently the single largest pool of judges in the country, and the quality of the event is such that in the last two years, judging has included homebrewing legends from the American scene like Gordon Strong and John Palmer.

It’s not unreasonable to suggest that Brew Slam garners more respect than the Ontario Brewing Awards and Canadian Brewing Awards in international circles, partially due to the supporting club meetings and moderated online group. It certainly seems to be the case that the judges prefer to judge Brew Slam.

This is partially due to the fact that it’s taken extremely seriously. The event takes three days to judge. For the last several years, the host has been Amsterdam Brewing’s Leaside facility in Toronto.

Each beer is considered independently as part of a beer style group by a team of two judges, with an average flight size of seven samples. If it’s a larger group, the best examples from each flight move on to the second round of judging. The amount of time allotted permits for a relaxed, considered atmosphere where palate fatigue is unlikely to be an issue, even in hop-heavy categories.

Speaking personally, I have judged international competitions in which there might be 100

When entering any judged contest, it’s a great idea to scout the vibe of the competition and determine what might be the keys to your success.

Here are five helpful hints from GTA Brews President Eric Cousineau that can help you win big.

Certified judges get to take a considered approach to feedback at the GTA Brew Slam. Supplied photo

samples over the course of a single day. When I judged the comparatively reasonable Canadian Brewing Awards this year, it included something like 60 beers over the course of four judging sessions. Extrapolated over the same amount of time, I would have judged half as many for Brew Slam.

It’s an environment conducive to better feedback, and when you consider the disparity in entry costs and therefore budget (10 dollars per beer for Brew Slam, 100 dollars per beer for the Canadian Brewing Awards), it’s entirely possible that Brew Slam is the best-run beer competition in the country.

In addition to bragging rights, the 2019 edition featured approximately $24,000 worth of prizes and the opportunity for pro-am collabs. Marcelo Paniza, who won the pilsner category in 2018 managed to parlay his collaboratively brewed bock with Toronto’s Henderson Brewing into a Best of Show award at the Ontario Brewing Awards and a gold medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards.

He now has his own contract-brewed line of beer out of Junction Brewing in Toronto Stockyards district. Your mileage may vary.

One thing is for certain: as an organization, GTA Brews is a tremendous force for education, information, and companionship for anyone who’s interested in taking up homebrewing as a hobby or for anyone interested in learning more about the technical aspects of beer. Membership to their Facebook group is free, the conversation is lively, and the passion displayed by the members for their subject is not only admirable but unmatched in this country. j

Volunteer If you’ve never entered a homebrew competition before, the rules can be complex. The best way to get a handle on them is to see them in action. A competition the size of Brew Slam is always in need of volunteers to help catalogue entries, steward and organize logistics. Not only will you get a sense of the competition but you’ll get to learn how the judges think.

Don’t Enter the Most Popular Categories Everyone wants to make an IPA. People have spent years finding the right blend of hops and the best technique for creating that omnipresent super current #hazeboi.

Meanwhile, there are only 11 entries in bock. If you want to win a medal, it might be best to improve your odds by choosing a less heavily contested category.

Leave a Little Mystery Selling beer (whether as a product to a consumer, or as a concept to judges) is about expectation management. If you’re entering a specialty category that calls for descriptive language, keep it simple. Too much might bias the judges against you, especially if the beer in the bottle doesn’t live up to the hype.

Understand Off-Flavours A straightforward understanding of the most common off-flavours in beer will allow you to assess your homebrew before you pay the entrance fee. It will prevent you from being disappointed by the results and allow you to make better beer in the long run.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help With 2,350 members, GTA Brews is the largest online homebrew club in Canada, and easy-going discussion is one of the hallmarks of the group. Whether you want to tweak your recipe or get a sense of what other members are doing, you’re going to find helpful, knowledgeable people who will assist in making you better.

23

The best music and beer mashups you've ever sampled M

by Rob Mangelsdorf

usicians like beer and brewers like music—it’s a fact. So it’s inevitable that the worlds of craft beer and music should collide. Usually it’s in the form of a one-off collab, sometimes the musicians themselves try their hands at brewing. And sometimes really weird shit happens, like beers that are blasted with music while they ferment in order to… change their molecular structure? We’re not really sure, but it’s a thing, apparently. Here’s a look at some of the most interesting music and craft beer mashups out there.

IRON MAIDEN / ROBINSONS BREWERY

Probably the most well-known beer on this list, Trooper is a traditional English ale developed by Iron Maiden frontman (and 747 enthusiast) Bruce Dickinson with the help of 180-year-old Robinsons Brewery. The beer has been a massive success since it was first launched in 2013 and can be found in bottles and cans all over the world. Much like the band, it shows no sign of stopping.

METALLICA / STONE BREWING

Hot on the heels of their 2015 collaboration with… ahem… Budweiser, Metallica decided to team up

24

with Stone Brewing’s Arrogant Consortia to produce Enter Night Pilsner. I suppose it’s no surprise that the most boring band in metal came up with possibly the most boring beer on this list. According to drummer Lars Ulrich, "Our view of the worlds that we each inhabit, of creativity and process, and sense of place in relation to our peers and ‘The Man’ are almost identical." Shut the fuck up, Lars.

PREVAIL / PHILLIPS BREWING

One half of four-time Juno award-winning Canadian rap group Swollen Members and all-around lovely human being, Prevail teamed up with Vancouver Craft Beer Week and Phillips Brewing in 2014 to create Prev-Ale, a 7.0% ABV California common. The beer was a one-off to promote VCBW 2014 and sold out in a matter of days. Probably because I drank it all.

RUN THE JEWELS / BRLO

El-P and Killer Mike love them some craft beer, having released four different beers with breweries around the world so far. Their latest is the DOWN

Double IPA, a collaboration with Berlin brewery BRLO that’s infused with CBD (a non-CBD version is available stateside). Seriously, though, guys, maybe take a break from the cannabis beer and get to work on RTJ4, K?

SHRED KELLY / COLLECTIVE ARTS

East Kootenay alternative folk rock band Shred Kelly was part of Hamilton-based Collective Arts Brewing’s Vancouver Artist Series last year (despite not being from Vancouver), with their own limited edition can of Ransack the Universe IPA that featured art inspired by their song “Archipelago” on the can.

DEFTONES / BELCHING BEAVER

California alt-metal pioneers Deftones teamed up with San Diego’s Belching Beaver for a series of collaboration beers, beginning with Phantom Bride IPA in 2016, a West Coast style hop bomb loaded with Mosaic, Amarillo, Simcoe, and Citra hops, all handpicked by Deftones frontman, Chino Moreno. The latest in the series, Digital Bath, is a New England IPA.

WU TANG CLAN / FORTNIGHT BREWING So what happens when you purposely stress yeast during fermentation by blasting them with Wu-Tang Clan’s seminal 1993 album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) for 12 days straight?

Probably nothing. But it’s great marketing. The end result is Bring The Ruckus IPA; its makers believe the heavy dose of Wu-Tang increased the microorganism’s metabolism, resulting in different flavour compounds. Personally, I’m a little disappointed no one has come up with Craft Rules Everything Around Me C.R.E.A.M. Ale yet.

with local Seattle brewery Elysian to create Loser Pale Ale. The beer’s tagline of “Corporate Beer Still Sucks” did not age well given Elysian’s 2015 sale to AB InBev. Yikes.

BARENAKED LADIES / FLYING MONKEYS CRAFT BREWERY

National musical embarrassment Barenaked Ladies teamed up with Barrie, Ontario’s Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery to create BNL Strong Beer. Developed and brewed with full participation of members of the band, with artwork designed by BNL keyboardist Kevin Hearn, the beer is described as “a fudge-y imperial chocolate stout with an 11% ABV that really lives up to its name.” I haven’t tried this beer, but if it’s anything like BNL’s music, it’s probably sickly sweet and generally awful.

HANSON BROTHERS BEER CO.

If you’re wondering what ever happened to Children of the Corn lookalikes/’90s bubblegum pop boy band Hanson, you are definitely alone. But as it turns out, the three brothers actually went and started their own craft brewery in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, with all that sweet “Mmmbop” money. They literally have a beer called Mmmhops Pale Ale. I shit you not.

MASTODON / MIKKELLER

Prog metal juggernauts Mastodon teamed up with Danish brewery Mikkeller to release Ancient Kingdoms Czech-Style Pilsner a few months ago, the third beer the band’s done with the Scandinavian super brand. The bottle literally has a dude with half his face melted off, yet in true Mikkeller fashion, is still somehow adorable.

Go figure. j

SUB POP RECORDS / ELYSIAN BREWING

Sub Pop celebrated its 20th anniversary by collaborating

25

CALED

ONIA

RD.

KEELE

ST.

D

.

UPO

NT

ST.

. .W

14

27

DO N

VAL

DUNDAS ST. W.

VE IR A

ONN

OR

33

DAN

FOR

TH

AVE

.

31

DR.

EAST YORK

O’C

.

E. E

D

41

T. E. AS S UND

20

15

36

07

.

THE JUNCTION 28

ST.

37

ERIN

CLA

DUFF

ST.

D. EN R

29 40 43

BATHU

R

RD.

26

N

NUE

TO

AVE

ST.

ES

YONGE

YORK

01 03

E

AV

.

S RD

TON

IEW

MIDTOWN TORONTO

22

BAYV

ING

. .W

ALL

ON

LESLIE S T.

GT

ILL DON M

EGL

AVE

IN GL

DO N VAL LEY P K WY

. .W AVE

CE

NORTH TORONTO

VE KA

LAW

.

REN

AVE

401

SON

17

PAR

09

WIL

E

401

IA

W

W

N

toron to

V

OR ICT

LE

AVE.

T. RST S

DUNDAS ST. W.

KIP

LIN

VE GA

.

House

04 Avling 05 Bandit

Brewing Co.

03 Amsterdam

Brewhouse

02 Amsterdam

32 32 30

32

32

(Ossington)

32

32

32

Commons)

32

11 Big Rock (Liberty

(Etobicoke)

10 Big Rock

(Hafis)

09 Bellwoods

32 32

ER

EX

PY

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Black Lab Black Oak Blood Brothers Brunswick Burdock Common Good Eastbound Folly Godspeed Goose Island

LAKE ONTARIO

IN

32 32 32 32 32 32 33 33 33 33

DA

30 33 33

30 28 31 33 33 30

21

DUN

06

Granite Great Lakes Halo Henderson High Park Indie (Eataly) Indie (The Junction) 29 Junction 30 Kensington

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

.

01 Amsterdam Barrel

06 Batch 07 Beaches 08 Bellwoods

37

45 11 ENTERTAINMENT 02 DISTRICT

W.

44

30 ST.

BREWERIES

13

.

E T O BIC O KE

VE NA

47

RD.

Y

TO

RK

XP ER E

ING

YO

DIN

Y

ISL

GAR

T. ES

YAL

SWA

RO

EEN

G

D AR

Q

08 T. NS UEE

19

W.

VE AA

23

46

S ST. W.

BL

ST. OOR

DIN

PARKDALE

DUNDA

48

16

SPA .

QU

24

ST.

VE YA

THE

NT

05 25

O DUP

SIT

10

34

JUNCTION 28

VER

ND

UNI

DU

L KEE GE

.

YON

.W

S

35

32

18

Left Field Longslice Louis Cifer Mascot Mill St. Muddy York Northern Maverick 38 People’s Pint 39 Radical Road

31 32 33 34 35 36 37

E. ST.

KWY LEY P

ST

VAL

AS

N

R

34 31 34

31 33 33 33 33 31

GA

N

ER

TER

N DI

EAS

42

04

EX

40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

PY

.

AVE

12

.

ST. E

41

DAS

Rainhard Rorschach Saulter Street Shacklands The Six Steamwhistle Vegandale Von Bugle Woodhouse

39

DUN

34 34 34 34 34 34 34 34 34

TORONTO

GREAT LAKES BREWERY

30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd., Etobicoke | GreatLakesBeer.com MON-TUE 10AM-6PM ^ WED-SAT 10AM-9PM SUN 10AM-6PM EST. 1987 GLB is one of the oldest independently owned and operated craft breweries in Canada. Freshness and quality are the keys to the beers that are Ontario favourites—99.99% stays in the province.

AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER

OCTOPUS WANTS TO FIGHT

N E W E N G L A N D - S T Y L E I PA Small-batch: B,L ABV

6.4%

IBU

A M E R I C A N - S T Y L E I PA Year-round: B,L,LC

40%

ABV

The masters of IPA ride the wave to New England with haze, dankness and juicy hops.

S E S S I O N S TO U T

Year-round: B,L,LC,TBS IBU

88%

SHINNY PANTS

A M E R I C A N - S T Y L E PA L E A L E

5.2%

IBU

Eight hop varieties lend tropical aromas and just the right bitterness to match the malty body.

CANUCK

ABV

6.2%

Seasonal: B,L,LC

35%

ABV

A great value in the APA style, Canuck balances tropical citrus, pine and smooth carbonation.

4.3%

IBU

8%

A light to medium body balances the chocolate and espresso in this all-day stout.

A Great Lakes Milestone February 12 marks the 33rd anniversary of GLB! That’s 33 years of focusing on quality, innovation, community and fun. All of that from their home in south Etobicoke. They do what they do for you, Ontario.

GLB is #BrewedForYouOntario

28

Sponsored content

TORONTO

INDIE ALEHOUSE BREWING CO.

2876 Dundas St. W. | IndieAleHouse.com

As well as their production brewery in Etobicoke and the Junction brewpub, they also have the new Birrotecca on the bottom floor of Eataly Toronto on Bloor West.

SAFEWORD

K V E I K PA L E A L E MADE WITH GALAXY & MOSAIC Seasonal: B,L ABV IBU

TORONTO

INSTIGATOR

W E S T C OA S T- S T Y L E I PA Year-round: B,L

5.2% N/A

ABV IBU

6.5% 88

TORONTO

GRANITE BREWERY

BANDIT BREWERY

2125 Dundas St. W. | BanditBrewery.ca

245 Eglinton Ave. E. | GraniteBrewery.ca

The updated kitchen here keeps turning out favourites like grilled picanha and mushroom risotto. Look for seasonal releases like their Anomaly sour stout.

The SOBDL collab launches Mar. 8 (all welcome) and on Mar. 9 they have an annual trivia night fundraiser for International Women’s Day. Proceeds from both to Sistering.

MEADOW W/ PASSIONFRUIT

EXPAT

BA R R E L - A G E D S O U R W. F R U I T Seasonal: B ABV IBU

30

6% 10

ELEMENTS #6 BA R R E L - A G E D FLANDERS ALE

F O R E I G N E X T R A S TO U T

Seasonal: B ABV IBU

6% 10 Sponsored content

Seasonal: B,L ABV IBU

6.4% 44

COLLAB W/ SOCIETY OF BEER DRINKING LADIES N E W E N G L A N D I PA Small batch: B, L ABV IBU

00% 00

TORONTO

TORONTO

LEFT FIELD BREWERY

HALO BREWERY

247 Wallace Ave. | HaloBrewery.com

36 Wagstaff Dr. | LeftFieldBrewery.ca

They’ll mark their fourth birthday with a celebration in mid-May. As well, the brand new outdoor patio will open the moment the weather permits!

Weekday or weekend, much of the calendar at this neighbourhood brewery offers special events from yoga to cross-stitching. Plus pop-ups from food vendors like Island Oysters and Petojo.

MAGIC MISSILE

GLORIOSO

D RY- H O P P E D PA L E A L E Year-round: B,L ABV IBU

5.5% 25

RUBY GRAPEFRUIT SHAPESHIFTER S O U R I PA

W/ RUBY GRAPEFRUIT One-off: B,L ABV IBU

LASER SHOW

I TA L I A N P I L S N E R

D O U B L E I PA

Seasonal: B,L

6.5% 0

ABV IBU

TORONTO

5.5% 29

Year-round: B,L,LC ABV IBU

8% 80

TORONTO

MUDDY YORK BREWING CO.

22 Cranfield Rd. | MuddyYorkBrewing.com

PEOPLE’S PINT BREWING CO.

90 Cawthra Ave. | PeoplesPint.com

Muddy York continues to grow with Staring Down The Sun Clementine Sour (seasonal) and Working Hard New England IPA (full time) hitting LCBO shelves this spring!

Their second anniversary party is March 21 and they’ll be holding a fundraiser in honour of brewery cat Maris’s first anniversary for OSPCA on April 10.

WORKING HARD STARING NEW ENGLAND DOWN THE SUN IPA N E W E N G L A N D CLEMENTINE S T Y L E I PA SOUR F R U I T E D S O U R

MANGO FETT

Year-round: B,L,LC ABV IBU

6.5% 20

NEW ENGLAND-STYLE I PA W / L A C TO

Seasonal: B,L,LC ABV IBU

5.5% 5 Sponsored content

Year-round: B,L ABV IBU

6% 19

ALPINE DUNKEL

DUNKEL LAGER Year-round: B,L ABV IBU

5.2% 18 31

TORONTO

AMSTERDAM BREWING CO.

45 Esandar Dr.; 87 Laird Dr.; 245 Queens Quay W., Toronto AmsterdamBeer.com

AVLING BREWERY

1042 Queen St. E., Toronto Avling.ca

BATCH

75 Victoria St., Toronto BatchToronto.com

BEACHES BREWING CO.

1953 Queen St. E., Toronto BeachesBrewing.com

BELLWOODS BREWERY

124 Ossington Ave., 20 Hafis Rd., Toronto BellwoodsBrewery.com

BIG ROCK BREWERY (LIBERTY COMMONS)

42 Liberty St., 1589 The Queensway, Toronto LibertyCommons.ca

32

BLACK LAB BREWING

818 Eastern Ave., Toronto BlackLab.beer

BLACK OAK BREWING CO.

75 Horner Ave., Toronto BlackOakBeer.com

BLOOD BROTHERS BREWING

165 Geary Ave., Toronto BloodBrothersBrewing.com

BRUNSWICK BIERWORKS

25 Curity Ave., Toronto BrunswickBierworks.com

BURDOCK BREWERY

1184 Bloor St. W., Toronto BurdockTO.com

COMMON GOOD BEER CO.

475 Ellesmere Rd., Toronto CommonGoodBeer.com

TORONTO

EASTBOUND BREWING CO.

700 Queen St. E., Toronto EastboundBeer.com

FOLLY BREWING

928 College St., Toronto FollyBrewing.com

GODSPEED BREWERY

242 Coxwell Ave., Toronto GodspeedBrewery.com

GOOSE ISLAND BREWHOUSE TORONTO

70 The Esplanade, Toronto GooseIsland.com

HENDERSON BREWING CO.

128A Sterling Rd., Toronto HendersonBrewing.com

HIGH PARK BREWERY

839 Runnymede Rd., Toronto HighParkBrewery.com

JUNCTION CRAFT BREWING

150 Symes Rd., Toronto JunctionCraft.com

KENSINGTON BREWING CO.

299 Augusta Ave., Toronto KensingtonBrewingCompany.com

LONGSLICE BREWERY

484 Front St. E., Toronto Longslice.com

LOUIS CIFER BREW WORKS

417 Danforth Ave., Toronto LouisCiferBrewWorks.com

MASCOT BREWERY

37 Advance Rd., 220 King St. W., Toronto MascotBrewery.com

MILL ST. BREW PUB

21 Tank House Ln., Toronto MillStreetBrewery.com

33

TORONTO

NORTHERN MAVERICK BREWING CO.

115 Bathurst St., Toronto NorthernMaverick.ca

RADICAL ROAD BREWING CO.

1177 Queen St. E., Toronto RadicalRoadBrew.com

RAINHARD BREWING CO.

100 Symes Rd., Toronto RainhardBrewing.com

RORSCHACH BREWING CO.

1001 Eastern Ave., Toronto RorschachBrewing.com

SAULTER STREET BREWERY

1-31 Saulter St., Toronto SaulterStreetBrewery.com

SHACKLANDS BREWING CO.

101-100 Symes Rd., Toronto Shacklands.com

THE SIX BREWING CO.

777 Dundas St. W., Toronto TheSixBrewingCo.com

STEAM WHISTLE

255 Bremner Blvd., Toronto SteamWhistle.ca

VEGANDALE BREWERY

1346 Queen St. W., Toronto VegandaleBrewery.com

VON BUGLE BREWING

249 Evans Ave., Toronto VonBugle.ca

WOODHOUSE BREWING CO.

303 Landsdowne Ave., Toronto WoodhouseBrewing.com

Tag us in your beer #ontariocraft agram! photos on Inst @THEGROWLERON

34

16 Town 37

Wedge 36

BREWERIES 01 5 Paddles 36 02 All or Nothing 36 03 Arch 36 04 Brock St. 36 05 Chronicle 36 06 County Durham 36 07 Falcon 36 08 Lake Wilcox 37 09 Little Beasts 37 10 Magnotta 37 11 Manantler 37 12 Market 37 13 Old Flame 37 14 Rouge River 37 15 The Second

03 12

E

400

08

10

VAUGHAN

NEWMARKET

W

N

404

14

401

MARKHAM

48

407

47

7

13

07

412

16

04 01

02

OSHAWA

2

57

11 05

LAKE ONTARIO

09

WHITBY

PORT PERRY

12

PICKERING

06

UXBRIDGE

15

7a 35

115

N o rt h & E as t G TA

AJAX

UXBRIDGE

THE SECOND WEDGE BREWING CO.

FALCON BREWING

30 Barr Rd. | FalconBeer.beer

14 Victoria St. | TheSecondWedge.ca

Weekends—especially Friday night when they often have live music from local favourites— are popular at this Ajax standy.

Spring is beer garden weather! They host the Springtide Music Festival main stage on Mother’s Day Weekend. Uxbridge Farmers’ Market returns Sundays starting in May.

RED FALCON

SMOKED WHEAT ON RYE

IRISH-STYLE RED ALE

JENNY

CREAM ALE

Year-round: B,L,LC ABV IBU

5% N/A

S M O K E D W H E AT B E E R

Year-round: B,L ABV IBU

LOVE IS BRUTIFUL B R U T I PA

Seasonal: B,L

5% 12

ABV IBU

5% 18

Seasonal: B,L ABV IBU

BROCK STREET BREWING CO.

5 PADDLES BREWING CO.

244 Brock St. S., Whitby BrockStBrewing.com

#3-1390 Hopkins St, Whitby 5PaddlesBrewing.ca

ALL OR NOTHING BREWHOUSE

CHRONICLE BREWING CO.

439 Ritson Rd. S., Oshawa AllOrNothing.beer

422 Lake Rd., Unit 3, Bowmanville ChronicleBeer.com

ARCH BREWING CO.

COUNTY DURHAM BREWING CO.

4-11 Pony Dr., Newmarket ArchBrewing.ca

36

5% 16

1885 Clements Rd., Pickering

Sponsored content

NORTH & EAST GTA

LAKE WILCOX BREWING CO.

3-1033 Edgeley Blvd., Vaughan LakeWilcoxBrewing.com

LITTLE BEASTS BREWING CO.

2075 Forbes St., Whitby LittleBeastsBrewing.com

ROUGE RIVER BREWING CO.

8-50 Bullock Dr., Markham RougeRiverBrewery.com

TOWN BREWERY

1632 Charles St., Whitby TownBrewery.ca

MAGNOTTA BREWERY

271 Chrislea Rd., Vaughan MagnottaBrewery.com

MANANTLER CRAFT BREWING CO.

182 Wellington St., Unit 18, Bowmanville Manantler.com

MARKET BREWING CO.

4-17775 Leslie St., Newmarket MarketBrewingCo.com

OLD FLAME BREWING CO.

135 Perry St., Port Perry OldFlameBrewingCo.ca

37

H a mi lt o n, Bra nt & W es t G TA 17 03

N W

09

E

27

400

10

CALEDON 01

407

124

6

08

GEORGETOWN 7

MISSISSAUGA 19 14 15 20

7 Tri-Cities & Central West Ontario maps pages 44 & 45.

MILTON

401

04

OAKVILLE 407

13

6 8

24

BURLINGTON 16

5

07 10

06 12

HAMILTON

18

05 8

2 20

BRANTFORD

BREWERIES 01 Badlands 40 02 Bell City 40 03 Caledon Hills 40 04 Cameron's 40 05 Clifford 40 06 Collective Arts 40 07 Fairweather 40

LAKE ONTARIO

403

02 11

403

08 Furnace Room 09 Goodlot

40

Farmstead 41

10 Grain & Grit 41 11 Mash Paddle 41 12 Merit 41 13 Nickel Brook 39

14 Old Credit 41 15 Orange Snail 41 16 Shawn & Ed 41 17 Sonnen Hill 41 18 Steel Wheel 41 19 Stonehooker 41 20 Third Moon 41

BURLINGTON

NICKEL BROOK BREWING CO.

864 Drury Ln. | NickelBrook.com SUN-TUES 11AM-6PM ^ WED-SAT 11AM-9PM EST. 2005 Visit their taproom and bottle shop in Burlington for exclusive beer releases, weekly events and great bites.

WINEY BASTARD

CAFE DEL BASTARDO

Seasonal: B,L,LC

Seasonal: B,L,LC

P I N OT N O I R - A G E D I M P E R I A L S TO U T

ABV

11%

IBU

B O U R B O N BA R R E L - A G E D I M P E R I A L S TO U T W I T H C O F F E E

80

ABV

Wine barrels add pleasant fruit notes and a mild tartness to the delicious rich chocolate of this imperial stout. It’s a cellar gem.

11.9%

IBU

80

Heaps of coffee beans go into every barrel, creating notes of bright coffee, bourbon, vanilla and chocolate, followed by a warming alcohol finish.

Sponsored content

39

GEORGETOWN

HAMILTON

FURNACE ROOM BREWERY

COLLECTIVE ARTS BREWING

1 Elgin St. | FurnaceRoomBrewery.com

207 Burlington St. E. | CollectiveArtsBrewing.com

The brewery periodically features musical acts and a food truck serves several beer friendly dishes on an evolving schedule. Call the brewery or follow on social for the latest news.

Collective Arts Fest 2020 on June 6 picks up where Liquid Arts left off. With live mural artists and live music, food trucks, and of course more than 50 breweries. Tickets on Eventbrite.

DUBBEL 07

COLLECTIVE ARTS FEST IPA

HELLES

BELGIAN-STYLE DUBBEL

MUNICH-STYLE HELLES

One-off: B ABV IBU

7.1% 17

One-off: B ABV IBU

BADLANDS BREWING COMPANY

13926 Chinguacousy Rd., Burlington BadlandsBrewing.ca

BELL CITY BREWING CO.

51 Woodyatt Dr., unit 9, Brantford BellCityBrewing.com

CALEDON HILLS BREWING COMPANY

Caledon CaledonHillsBrewing.ca

40

P I N E A P P L E VA N I L L A I PA One-off: B,L,LC

5% 20

ABV IBU

MANGO & TANGERINE SOUR SOUR ALE

6% N/A

One-off: B,L,LC ABV IBU

6% N/A

CAMERON’S BREWING

1165 Invicta Dr., Oakville CameronsBrewing.com

CLIFFORD BREWING CO.

1-398 Nash Rd. N., Hamilton CliffordBrewing.com

FAIRWEATHER BREWING CO.

1-5 Ofield Rd., Hamilton FairweatherBrewing.com

Sponsored content

HAMILTON, BRANT & WEST GTA

GOODLOT FARMSTEAD BREWING CO.

18825 Shaws Creek Rd., Caledon GoodLot.beer

GRAIN & GRIT BEER CO.

11 Ewen Rd., Hamilton GrainAndGritBeer.com

MASH PADDLE BREWING CO.

111 Sherwood Dr., unit 3A, Brantford MashPaddleBrewing.com

MERIT BREWING

SHAWN & ED BREWING CO.

65 Hatt St., Dundas LagerShed.com

SONNEN HILL BREWERY

20683 Heart Lake Rd., Caledon Instagram.com/SonnenHill

STEEL WHEEL BREWERY

105 Powerline Rd., Brantford SteelWheel.ca

STONEHOOKER BREWING CO.

107 James St. N., Hamilton MeritBrewing.ca

866 Lakeshore Rd. E., Mississauga Stonehooker.com

OLD CREDIT BREWING CO.

THIRD MOON BREWING

6 Queen St. W., Mississauga OldCreditBrewing.com

295 Alliance Rd., unit 3, Milton ThirdMoonBrewing.com

ORANGE SNAIL BREWERS

1-32 Steeles Ave. E., Milton OrangeSnailBrewers.ca

41

n i a ga ra BREWERIES 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

42 43 43 43 42 43 43

Q U E E N E L I Z A BETH

01

81

WA

NIAGARA ON THE LAKE 12

87

07

55

08

Y

10

58

100 405

ST. CATHARINES

43 43 43

05

11

04 57

406

09

NIAGARA FALLS

06 20

43 43

Q

U

12

Bench Breakwall Brimstone Counterpart The Exchange Kame & Kettle Lock Street Merchant Ale House Niagara Niagara College Niagara Oast House Silversmith

LAKE ONTARIO

EE

N EL

A

IZ

N

B

E

TH

58A

W

Y

A

3

W

E

58

140

02

BEAMSVILLE

3

03

NOTL

BENCH BREWING CO.

THE EXCHANGE BREWERY

3991 King St. | BenchBrewing.com

7 Queen St. | ExchangeBrewery.com

A wide range of brewed offerings—from sessionable to very specialized—make this Beamsville brewery a must-visit in Niagara.

The 3rd Edition of Sourpalooza Festival will be happening on September 12, 2020 in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Brewery line-up will be unveiled in March!

GREEN FIELDS

CLEMENTINE OUD BRUIN

SOUR ALE

Year-round: B,LC ABV IBU

42

4.6% 5

SHORT HILLS E A S T C OA S T I PA

SOUR ALE

Year-round: B,LC ABV IBU

6.5% 40 Sponsored content

Seasonal: B,LC ABV IBU

7.7% 27

NEW ENGLAND IPA NEW ENGLAND-STYLE I PA Year-round: B ABV IBU

7% 71

NIAGARA

BREAKWALL BREWING CO.

NIAGARA BREWING CO.

46 Clarence St., Port Colborne BreakwallBrewery.com

4915-A Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls NiagaraBrewingCompany.com

BRIMSTONE BREWING CO.

NIAGARA COLLEGE TEACHING BREWERY

209 Ridge Road N., Ridgeway BrimstoneBrewing.ca

COUNTERPART BREWING

3659 Stanley Ave., unit 6-8, Niagara Falls CounterpartBrewing.com

KAME & KETTLE BEER WORKS

25 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill KameAndKettle.ca

135 Taylor Rd., Niagara-on-the-Lake NCTeachingBrewery.ca

NIAGARA OAST HOUSE BREWERS

2017 Niagara Stone Rd., Niagara-on-theLake | OastHouseBrewers.com

SILVERSMITH BREWING CO.

1523 Niagara Stone Rd., Niagara-on-the-Lake SilversmithBrewing.com

LOCK STREET BREWING CO.

104-15 Lock St., Port Dalhousie LockStreet.ca

THE MERCHANT ALE HOUSE

98 St. Paul St., St. Catharines MerchantAleHouse.com

43

(Guelph) 51 02 Bad Apple 51 03 Black Swan 51 04 Brothers 51 05 Cowbell 46 06 Elora 50 07 Fixed Gear 51 08 Formosa Springs 51 09 Grey Matter 52 10 Half Hours 52 on Earth 11 Herald Haus 52 12 Hockley Valley 52 13 Jobsite 51 14 MacLeans 50 15 Neustadt 52 16 River Road 52 17 Royal City 52 18 Rural Roots 52 19 Shakespeare 53 20 Square 53 21 Stone House 53 22 Stratford 53 23 Wellington 48

BREWERIES 01 Abe Erb

09

02

BAYFIELD

16

GODERICH

20

21

21

KINCARDINE

LAKE HURON

4

83

10

BLYTH

05

86

9

15

14 4

8

7

STRATFORD

03 11 13 22

23

9

59

19

FORMOSA NEUSTADT

08

10

18

8

12

10

N

01 04 07 17

124

24

124

5

8

GUELPH

23

Tri-Cities map page 45. xx.

401

W

124

E

125

24

ORANGEVILLE

ELORA

06

109

ELMIRA

6

89

10

7

C ent ra l W e st

Tr i - C it i e s

85

BREWERIES 01 Abe Erb (Ayr) 02 Abe Erb 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

(Kitchener) Abe Erb (Waterloo) Barncat Bitte Schön Block Three Counterpoint Descendants Grand River Innocente Jackass North Works Red Circle Rhythm & Brews Short Finger TWB Upper Thames Waterloo Wave Maker Willibald Farm

7

06

ST. JACOBS 10 51

03

51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 50 52 52 52 52 53 53 53 53 53 53

7

07 18

WATERLOO 02

15 16

08 13

05

8

KITCHENER

8

6

11 12

04 14 19

09

NEW HAMBURG

CAMBRIDGE 01 20

AYR

24 5

401

59

N 2

17

WOODSTOCK

W

E

403

YOU’VE READ ABOUT THEM, NOW WORK WITH THEM. Join our team and work with over 30 breweries in Ontario

vesselpackaging.com/jobs

45

BLYTH

COWBELL BREWING

40035 Blyth Rd. | CowbellBrewing.com

SUN-THU 11AM-9PM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-11PM EST. 2016 Cowbell’s skilled brewing team brews a deep catalogue of styles for the world’s first closed-loop brewery. The restaurant ups their road trip worthiness. Their beer is available online for home delivery.

SHINDIG

DOC PERDUE’S BOBCAT

HURON COUNTY LAGER

W E S T C OA S T R E D A L E Year-round: B,L,LC,TBS

Year-round: B,L,LC,TBS ABV

4.2%

IBU

14

ABV

This light and refreshing lager features bready malts and a crisp finish. Great with food.

C O U N T RY KÖ L S C H

Seasonal: B,L,LC At the LCBO in early March IBU

30

ABSENT LANDLORD

H A Z Y J U I C Y I PA

6%

IBU

From Ontario’s west coast, this ale packs citrus, zesty tropical fruit and the zip of pine.

HAZY DAYS

ABV

5.5%

Year-round: B,L,LC,TBS

35

ABV

Bursts with tropical hop aromas and juicy flavours of mango, pineapple, papaya and orange.

5.3%

IBU

18

Warm fermentatoin provides more flavour than most kölsches. Crisp and refreshing.

Grow Your Community Through their Greener Pastures Community Fund, Cowbell Brewing Co. contributes 5¢ from the sale of every pint and can, starting with the very first can of beer sold in May 2016, to support the four children’s hospitals across Ontario. Total contributions as of November 30, 2019 is $374,517.

46

Sponsored content

2020 LIMITED SUBSCRIPTION

RETURN OF THE Renegade BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND, Cowbell Brewing’s Renegade Series returns in 2020. Five new, limitededition, small-batch Renegades, featuring bold and exciting flavours, will be available on draught and in 473mL cans. The Renegade Series allows the Cowbell Brew Team to express their courage and creativity.

Ensure you get to try them all with

GIFTS PURCHASED GIFTS PURCHASED

Purchase a subscription online. Shipping charge included in price.

GIFTS PURCHASED GIFTS BEERPURCHASED DELIVERED

the Renegade 2020 Subscription. Each release month, 6-473mL cans, fresh off the canning line, will be shipped directly to you. The first month will also include 2 Renegade snifters and 2 VIP Guided Tour vouchers.

The 2020 Renegade Series will be exclusively available at The Farm, at the Cowbell General Store and online at store.cowbellbrewing.com.

BEER DELIVERED BEER DELIVERED

COWBELL ENJOYEDCOWBELL ENJOYED BEER DELIVERED

Purchase a subscription Shipped directly to recipient’s home. Cowbell beer will be Cowbell beer will be ShippedPurchase directlya tosubscription recipient’s home.

Shipped directly to recipient’s home. online. Shipping charge Parcel must be signed for and enjoyed for the next online. charge Parcel must be signed and Parcel mustShipping be signed for and enjoyed for thefornext included in price. proof of age must be shown. three months. Cheers!

in price. proof included of age must be shown.

proof ofthree age months. must be shown.

Cheers!

COWBELL ENJOYED COWBELL ENJOYED Cowbell beer will be enjoyed for the next three months. Cheers!

WWW.COWBELLBREWING.COM • 844.523.4724

GUELPH

WELLINGTON BREWERY

950 Woodlawn Rd. W. | WellingtonBrewery.ca MON-SUN 11AM-7PM EST. 1985

A favourite brewery in Guelph, Wellington has a lineup that crosses from late winter into early spring with ease. Their imperial Russian stout is chocolate-y and rich, while Upside announces warmer weather with its bright, tropical flavour and aroma profile.

HELLES LAGER

FACES DOUBLE IPA W/ MOSAIC & CITRA

HELLES LAGER

D O U B L E I PA Seasonal: B,L

Year-round: B,L,LC,TBS ABV

4.5%

IBU

20

ABV

Easily one of the consistently best lagers in Ontario with just the right amount of hops.

IBU

80

UPSIDE IPA

N E W E N G L A N D - S T Y L E I PA

I M P E R I A L R U S S I A N S TO U T Seasonal: B,L,LC,TBS 8%

IBU

Latest in the DIPA series has grapefuit and mango hop notes over the creamy malt profile.

IMPERIAL RUSSIAN STOUT

ABV

8.5%

Year-round: B,L,LC,TBS

40

ABV

This award-winner is a bold, full-bodied stout that’s jet black with a deep tan head and an inviting aroma of dark chocolate and coffee.

6.8%

IBU

58

Exploding with juicy grapefruit, peach and tropical hop flavours. This New England-style IPA has a hazy appearance and soft mouthfeel.

Cask of Characters Did you know that Wellington is the oldest independently owned microbrewery in Canada?

Founded in 1985, the brewery was built to exclusively produce English-style cask ales. Now 35 years later, Wellington brews a wide-range of craft beer styles (and they still make cask beer!)

48

Sponsored content

ON THE UPSIDE...

This hazy, juicy, tropical IPA is available year round!

ELORA CITY

HANOVER

ELORA BREWING CO.

107 Geddes St. | EloraBrewingCompany.ca

MACLEAN’S ALES

52 14th Ave. | MacLeansAles.ca

ALES INC.

Queen of Craft head to Elora in February for open dialogue about women as part of beer’s history. Kman and the 45s will be there on Feb. 22 for a show presented by Riverfest.

Get set for Boots & Brews Country Music Festival on June 13, 2020. MacLean’s Brewery will have four live bands for the event that runs from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

FRIENDS FOREVER

FARMHOUSE BLONDE

NEW ENGLAND-STYLE PA L E A L E Seasonal: B,L,LC ABV IBU

5.5% 35

LODESTAR W/ BLACK RASPBERRY SOUR ALE

BLONDE ALE

One-off: B ABV IBU

Year-round: B,L,LC,TBS

5.1% 0

ABV IBU

STRAFORD

4.8% 18

LAZY HAZY IPAZY NEW EGLAND-STYLE I PA Seasonal: B,L,LC,TBS ABV IBU

4.8% 35

WATERLOO

JOBSITE BREWING CO.

INNOCENTE BREWING CO.

45 Cambria St. | JobsiteBrewing.ca

283 Northfield Dr. E., unit 8 | Innocente.ca

They have increased seating in the Workshop (their production area) to accommodate larger groups of people. Look out for specials on pizza or pints on certain nights of the week.

Mark your calendars for May 2020 when this favourite of the Kitchener-Waterloo area will celebrate their 6th anniversary with a party.

LIGHT DUTY

EVIL CONSCIENCE

PA L E A L E

One-off: B ABV IBU

50

4.9% 12

PRICKLY PEAR SOUR SPLINTER SOUR ALE (KETTLE SOUR) Seasonal: B ABV IBU

B L A C K I PA

5.1% 10 Sponsored content

Seasonal: B,L ABV IBU

6% 70

ROTATING DIPA SERIES D O U B L E I PA

One-off: B,L ABV IBU

8.5% 80

CENTRAL WEST

ABE ERB

151 Charles St. W., Kitchener; 15 King St. S., Waterloo; 143 Northumberland St., Ayr; 1-5 Edinburgh Rd. S., Guelph | AbeErb.com

BAD APPLE BREWING CO.

BROTHERS BREWING CO.

15 Wyndham St. N., Guelph BrothersBrewingCompany.ca

COUNTERPOINT BREWING CO.

73463 ON-21, Bayfield BadAppleBrewingCo.com

#4-935 Frederick St., Kitchener CounterpointBrewing.ca

BARNCAT ARTISAN ALES

DESCENDANTS BEER & BEVERAGE CO.

1600 Industrial Rd., Unit B5, Cambridge BarncatAles.com

BITTE SCHÖN BRAUHAUS

68 Huron St., New Hamburg BitteSchonBrauhaus.com

BLACK SWAN BREWING CO.

144 Downie St., Stratford BlackSwanBrewing.ca

BLOCK THREE BREWING

1430 King St. N., Unit 2, St. Jacobs BlockThreeBrewing.Ca

319 Victoria St. N., Kitchener DescendantsBeer.com

FIXED GEAR BREWING CO.

20 Alma St. S., Guelph FixedGearBrewing.com

FORMOSA SPRINGS BREWERY

1120 Bruce Rd., Unit 12, Formosa FormosaBrewery.ca

GRAND RIVER BREWING

295 Ainslie St., Cambridge GrandRiverBrewing.com

51

CENTRAL WEST

GREY MATTER BEER CO.

726 Queen St., Kincardine GreyMatterBeer.com

HALF HOURS ON EARTH BREWERY

151 Main St. S., Seaforth HalfHoursOnEarth.com

HERALD HAUS BREWING CO.

21 Market Pl., Stratford @HeraldHaus

HOCKLEY VALLEY

25 Centennial Rd., Orangeville HockleyBeer.ca

JACKASS BREWING

NORTH WORKS BREWING CO.

46 Stafford Ct. Unit B, Cambridge NorthWorksBrewing.com

RED CIRCLE BREWING CO.

137 Glasgow St., Unit 385, Kitchener RedCircleBrewing.ca

RIVER ROAD BREWING AND HOPS

35549 Bayfield River Rd., Bayfield RiverRoadBrewing.com

RHYTHM & BREWS BREWING CO.

1000 Bishop St. N., Unit 10, Cambridge RhythmAndBrews.ca

ROYAL CITY BREWING CO.

100 Sheldon Dr., Unit 36, Cambridge JackassBrewing.ca

199 Victoria Rd. S., Guelph RoyalCityBrew.ca

NEUSTADT SPRINGS BREWERY

RURAL ROOTS BREWING COMPANY

456 Jacob St., Neustadt NeustadtSprings.com

52

21B Industrial Dr., Elmira RuralRootsBrewery.ca

CENTRAL WEST

SHAKESPEARE BREWING CO.

2178 Line 34, Shakespeare ShakespeareBrewingCompany.ca

SHORT FINGER BREWING CO.

UPPER THAMES BREWING CO.

225 Bysham Park Dr., unit 9, Woodstock UpperThamesBrewing.ca

WATERLOO BREWING

20 Hurst Ave., Kitchener ShortFingerBrewing.com

400 Bingemans Centre Dr., Kitchener WaterlooBrewing.com

SQUARE BREW

WAVE MAKER CRAFT BREWERY

430 Parsons Crt., Goderich SquareBrewCo.com

STONE HOUSE BREWING CO.

76050 Parr Line, Varna StoneHouseBrewing.ca

639 Laurel St., Cambridge WaveMakerBrewery.com

WILLIBALD FARM

BREWERY & DISTILLERY 1271 Reidsville Rd., Ayr DrinkWillibald.com

STRATFORD BREWING CO.

Facebook.com/StratfordBrewing

TOGETHER WE’RE BITTER CO-OPERATIVE

300 Mill Street, Unit 1, Kitchener Brewing.coop

53

15 16 17 18 19

14

05 06 07 08 08 10 11 12 13

01 02 03 04

Bayside Caps Off Charlotteville Concession Road GL Heritage Grove Kingsville Lonsbery Farms Natterjack New Limburg Railway City Ramblin' Road Refined Fool (Davis St.) Refined Fool (London Rd.) River Run Rusty Wrench Sons of Kent Stonepicker Strathroy

BREWERIES

59 59 59 56 59 59

59

58 58 59 58 58 58 58 59 59

57 57 57

05

08

Windsor map page 55.

3

22

77

06 07

17

21

80 79

402

401 3

81

16 19

4

LONDON

401 3

LAKE ERIE

09

2

7

73

119

02 11

London map page 55.

STRATHROY

79

ERIEAU

01

CHATHAM-KENT

40

SARNIA

13 14 15

18

LAKE HURON

3

19

59

8

59

03

04

N E

SIMCOE 24

10

24

Hamilton, Brant & West GTA map page 38.

W

12

403

401

Tri-Cities & Central West Ontario maps pages 44 & 45.

s out h W e s t

l o ndo n PS

RD

ON T DS

AS

ST

E

06

WA

VE

ST

LL

AL

GA

TO

T RS

T NS

N

T NS

TO

ELA

H A M IL

IDE

R HO

AF

ER

ST

ST RK

AD

YO

AS

TR

EG

T ES

T TS

ND

04

KE

SEC

ND

03

RN

LBO

DU

DU

V YA

LBO

TA

WHA RN C LIF F E R D

02

UR

ST

CO

T DS

08

HB

01 05

EC

ON

RD

E

EB

HM

FO

ST

RD

QU

RIC

OX

FO

HIG

OX

W ST

ST

IDE

AR

EA

CL

CH

W

ST

TO N R D

GO

RE

E

RD

07

BREWERIES 01 02 03 04

Anderson Beerlab!

Dundas & Sons Forked River

05 06 07 08

56 57 58 58

London Powerhouse Storm Stayed

56 58 59

Toboggan

59

Winds o r DETROIT

ST CH

WI

RD

E

N

RE

V SA

W

E

R

A

N

D

R MA

AI S

VE LA

ND

EH

RA

SA

D ER

56

TT

58 59

04

NT

VD

ST

CE

05 Motor Craft 06 Sandwich 07 Walkerville

UMS

G BL

LE

LE

N

PIL

O

NO

E

ER

RD

E

M

D

AV

AV

CA

AR

NT

S.

D HR

57 57 58 58

RD

RC

BREW Chapter Two Craft Heads Frank

TEC

YP

BREWERIES 01 02 03 04

ST

MI

RE

W

WA

SE

N A L ST

PA

H

VE EA

SE

TT

UM

WA

LE

HU NC

C TE

RD

HO

E

RO

ER D

EL

AV

HU

NC

L

OU

E

RD

E

GI

FO

E

AW

AV

CR

LL

LL

AV

TA

D RR

BE

CO

GE

BL

OT

E VD

S . N A TI O

ILL

KE

05

MP

06

ES

02

E

OU

T ES

AL

W

YA

TT

W

CA

W DR I DE EW ERS AV RIV Y SIT ER V I W UN ST TE OT D AN WY

O ND

DR

01

03

PRI

E RIVERSIDE DR

07

RD

E

E

OW E.C. R

EXPY

CHATHAM

LONDON

SONS OF KENT BREWING CO.

ANDERSON CRAFT ALES

1030 Elias St. | AndersonCraftAles.ca

27 Adelaide St. S. | SonsOfKent.com

Feb. 29 takes them to the Hamilton Convention Centre for the 4th annual IHeartBeer & Taco Festival. Tickets are on sale at bruha.com.

Their biggest event of the year will be their 4th Anniversary Celebration on August 8 at the brewery. It will feature over 40 unique beers, live music all day, food and prizes.

ZEPHYR

CREAM ALE

D RY- H O P P E D S O U R

JUICE BOX H A Z Y I PA

Seasonal: B,L,LC ABV IBU

CREAM ALE Year-round: B,L,LC

5.3% N/A

ABV IBU

Year-round: B,L,LC

6.9% 45

ABV IBU

LONDON

4.8% 24

JUICY IPA

NEW ENGLAND-STYLE I PA Seasonal: B,L,LC ABV IBU

6.2% 44

WINDSOR

LONDON BREWING

WALKERVILLE BREWERY

521 Burbrook Pl. | LondonBrewing.ca

525 Argyle Rd. | WalkervilleBrewery.com

First Craft Malt Certified brewery in Canada, serving Certified Organic Beer. Live music every Friday and Sunday.

On Feb. 29, they have their first Craft Market: Foodie Edition of the year. Look for vendors from the Windsor/Essex area plus live entertainment and plenty of beer.

LONDON ORGANIC LAGER

RED BEARD IRISH RED ALE

FRONT PORCH ORGANIC

HELLES LAGER Year-round: B,L,LC,TBS ABV IBU

56

4.7% 18

S E S S I O N I PA

IRISH-STYLE RED ALE

Year-round: B,L,LC,TBS ABV IBU

4% 30 Sponsored content

Seasonal: B,L ABV IBU

4.8% 20

EASY STOUT M I L K S TO U T

Year-round: B,L,LC ABV IBU

5.5% 32

SOUTHWEST

BAYSIDE BREWING CO.

970 Ross Lane, Erieau BaysideBrewing.com

BEERLAB!

CAPS OFF BREWING CO.

Unit C-168 Curtis St., St. Thomas CapsOffBrewing.com

CHAPTER TWO BREWING CO.

420 Talbot St., London Beerlab.com

2345 Edna St., Windsor ChapterTwoBrewing.com

BREW MICROBREWERY

CHARLOTTEVILLE BREWING CO.

635 University Ave. E., Windsor BrewWindsor.com

1207 Charlotteville West Quarter Line Rd., Simcoe | CharlottevilleBrewingCompany.ca

Get 15% Off Tickets with Code

GROWLER2020 57

SOUTHWEST

CONCESSION ROAD BREWING CO.

17 Talbot St. E., unit 4, Jarvis ConcessionRoadBrew.com

CRAFT HEADS BREWING CO.

89 University Ave. W., Windsor CraftHeads.ca

DUNDAS & SONS BREWING

400 Adelaide St. N., London DundasAndSons.com

FORKED RIVER BREWING CO.

45 Pacific Crt., Unit 4, London ForkedRiverBrewing.com

FRANK BREWING CO.

12000 Tecumseh Rd., Tecumseh FrankBeer.ca

GL HERITAGE BREWING COMPANY

8728 Howard Ave., Amherstburg GLHeritageBrewing.ca

58

KINGSVILLE BREWERY

15 Main St. W., Kingsville KingsvilleBrewery.ca

LONSBERY FARMS BREWING CO.

7781 Howard Ave., Amherstburg LonsberyFarms.beer

MOTOR CRAFT ALES

888 Erie St. E., Windsor ThisIsMotor.com

NATTERJACK BREWING CO.

25292 Talbot Line, West Lorne NatterjackBrewing.ca

NEW LIMBURG BREWERY

2353 Nixon Rd., Simcoe NewLimburg.com

POWERHOUSE BREWING CO.

100 Kellogg Ln., London PowerhouseBrewery.beer

SOUTHWEST

RAILWAY CITY BREWING CO.

130 Edward St., St. Thomas RailwayCityBrewing.com

RAMBLIN ROAD BREWERY FARM

2970 Swimming Pool Rd., La Salette RamblinRoad.ca

REFINED FOOL BREWING CO.

1326 London Rd., 137 Davis St., Sarnia RefinedFool.com

RIVER RUN BREW CO.

146 Christina St. N., Sarnia Facebook.com/RiverRunBrewCo

RUSTY WRENCH BREWING CO.

9 Front St. W., Strathroy RustyWrench.ca

STONEPICKER BREWING

7143 Forest Rd., Plympton-Wyoming StonepickerBrewing.com

STORM STAYED BREWING CO.

169 Wharncliffe Rd. S., unit 8, London StormStayed.com

STRATHROY BREWING CO.

62 Albert St., Strathroy StrathroyBrewingCompany.ca

THE GROVE BREW HOUSE

12 Main St. E., Kingsville BrewEatSleepRepeat.com

TOBOGGAN BREWING CO.

585 Richmond St., London TobogganBrewing.com

SANDWICH BREWING CO.

3230 Sandwich St., Windsor @SandwichBrewing

59

Brothers 63 08 Matron 63 09 Midtown 63 10 Napanee 63 11 Parsons 63 12 Prince Eddy's 64 13 Riverhead 64 14 Signal 64 15 Skeleton Park 64 16 Spearhead 61 17 Stone City 64 18 Strange 64 19 Westport 64 20 Wild Card 64 21 Wolfe Island 64

07 MacKinnon

Mountain 63

BREWERIES 01 555 62 02 Barley Days 62 03 Gananoque 63 04 Gillingham 63 05 Kingston 63 06 Lake on the

20

14

37

2

18 09

04

62

01 11 12

10

33

NAPANEE

06

49

41

PICTON

08 02

401

BELLEVILLE

62

7

05 17

KINGSTON 21

13 15 16

LAKE ONTARIO

07

38

2

15

03

42

W

N E

GANANOQUE

401

WESTPORT

19

Ki n g s t o n & P E C

KINGSTON

SPEARHEAD BREWING

675 Development Dr. | SpearheadBeer.com

SUN-MON 11AM-9PM ^ TUE-THU 11AM-10PM FRI-SAT 11AM-11PM EST. 2018 This Kingston fixture has a truly impressive roster of events in their taproom. That runs from the musical for Throwback Thursdays and Open Mic Fridays to oysters and tacos on Tuesdays.

MOROCCAN BROWN ALE

BIG KAHUNA I M P E R I A L I PA

A M E R I C A N - S T Y L E B R OW N A L E Year-round: B,L,LC ABV

6%

IBU

Seasonal: B,L,LC

35

ABV

It only takes a little digging to spot the Maghreb accent from the dates, figs, raisins and cinnamon.

10%

IBU

100

It gets warrior, cascade and hallertau blanc hops to go with the pure pineapple juice.

Now available at select LCBOs.

SPEARHEADBEER.COM

Sponsored content

61

K awa rt h as & NO r t h u m b er lan d N

BREWERIES 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Belmont Lake Bobcaygeon Church-Key Fenelon Falls Northumberland Hills

63

Olde Stone Pie Eyed Monk Publican House Smithavens William Street

63 63 64 64 64

W

62 62 62 62

E

28

49

04

01

35

36 7

07

LINDSAY 35

02 06

7

08 09

03

CAMPBELLFORD

PETERBOROUGH 7A 115

57

555 BREWING CO.

124 Picton Main St., Picton 555Beer.com

BARLEY DAYS BREWERY

13730 Loyalist Parkway, Picton BarleyDaysBrewery.com

BELMONT LAKE BREWERY

54 Fire Rte. 17, Havelock BelmontLakeBrewery.com

62

28

COBOURG 05 10

401 2

BOBCAYGEON BREWING CO.

191 St David St., Unit 2, Peterborough BobcaygeonBrewing.ca

CHURCH-KEY BREWING

1678 County Road 38, Campbellford ChurchKeyBrewing.com

FENELON FALLS BREWING CO.

4 May St., Fenelon Falls FenelonFallsBrewing.com

KAWARTHAS, KINGSTON & PEC

GANANOQUE BREWING COMPANY

9 King St. E., Gananoque GanBeer.com

GILLINGHAM BREWING CO.

MIDTOWN BREWING CO.

266 Wellington Main St., Wellington MidtownBrewingCompany.com

NAPANEE BEER COMPANY

1316 Wilson Rd., Hillier GillinghamBrewing.ca

450 Milligan Lane, Napanee NapaneeBeer.ca

KINGSTON BREWING COMPANY

NORTHUMBERLAND HILLS BREWERY

34 Clarence St., Kingston KingstonBrewing.ca

1024 Division St., Unit 1, Cobourg NHB.beer

LAKE ON THE MOUNTAIN BREWERY

THE OLDE STONE BREWING CO.

11369 Loyalist Pkwy., Glenora LakeOnTheMountainBrewCo.com

MACKINNON BROTHERS BREWING

1915 County Road 22, Bath MackinnonBrewing.com

MATRON FINE BEER

65 Barker Lane, Bloomfield MatronFineBeer.ca

380 George St. N., Peterborough OldeStone.ca

PARSONS BREWING CO.

876 County Road 49, Picton ParsonsBrewing.com

PIE EYED MONK BREWERY

8 Cambridge St. N., Lindsay PieEyedMonkBrewery.com

63

KAWARTHAS, KINGSTON & PEC

PRINCE EDDY’S BREWING CO.

13 Macsteven Dr., Picton PrinceEddys.com

PUBLICAN HOUSE BREWERY

300 Charlotte St., Peterborough PublicanHouse.com

RIVERHEAD BREWING CO.

631 Fortune Cres., Kingston RiverheadBrewing.com

SIGNAL BREWING COMPANY

86-87 River Rd., Corbyville Signal.beer

SKELETON PARK BREWERY

675 Arlington Park Pl., Kingston SkeletonPark.ca

SMITHAVENS BREWING COMPANY

687 Rye St., Unit 6, Peterborough SmithavensBrewing.ca

64

STONE CITY ALES

275 Princess St., Kingston StoneCityAles.com

STRANGE BREWING CO.

371 Chase Rd., Hillier facebook.com/The-Strange-BrewingCompany

WESTPORT BREWING CO.

41B Main St., Westport WestportBrewingCompany.ca

WILDCARD BREWING CO.

38 Gotha St., Trenton WildcardBrewCo.com

WILLIAM STREET BEER CO.

975 Elgin St. W. #4, Cobourg WilliamStreetBeer.com

WOLFE ISLAND SPRING CRAFT BREWERY

1570 County Road 96, Wolfe Island WolfeIsland.beer

Beginnings 69 13 Perth 69 14 Rurban 69 15 Square Timber 70 16 Stalwart 70 17 Tuque de Broue 70 18 Whitewater 70 19 Windmill 70 20 Wood Brothers 70

08 Cassel 67 09 Crooked Mile 68 10 Étienne Brûlé 68 11 Halcyon 69 12 Humble

Springs 68

BREWERIES 01 1,000 Islands 67 02 4 Degrees 67 03 Ashton 67 04 Beau's 67 05 Braumeister 68 06 Calabogie 68 07 Cartwright

41

15

41

60

18

7

06

417

05 16

29

09 03

13

02

15 42

29

SMITH FALLS

15

01

416

Ottawa area map page 66.

OTTAWA

CARLETON PLACE

07

QUEBEC

19

31

401

EMBRUN

10 17

43

08

17

12

417

14

W

N E

CORNWALL

138

34

VANKLEEK HILL 20

04 11

E As t e rn Ontar i o

BREWERIES

(Gloucester) 67 04 Big Rig 67 (Kanata) 05 Big Rig 67 (Ottawa) 06 Broadhead 68 07 Calabogie 68 08 Clocktower 68 09 Conspiracy Theory 68 10 Covered Bridge 68 11 Dominion City 68 12 Evergreen 68 13 Flora Hall 68 14 Kichesippi 69 15 Lowertown 69 16 Nita Beer 69 17 Overflow 69 18 Ridge Rock 69 19 Small Pony 70 20 Stray Dog 70 21 Tooth and Nail 70 22 Vimy 70 23 Waller Street 70 24 Whiprsnapr 70

01 Beyond the Pale 67 02 Bicycle 67 03 Big Rig

18

E

49

36

14

24

416

05 07

09

32

36

08 13

15 23

16

OTTAWA

50

NEPEAN

16

01 21 22

5

17

19

79

02

74

03

417

174

11

S NK BA

10

417

38

148

QUEBE C

12 KANATA

04 19

W

N 0620

Ot tawa

T.

CASSELMAN

VANKLEEK HILL

MICROBRASSERIE CASSEL BREWERY

BEAU’S ALL NATURAL BREWING CO.

2 Racine St. (right off the Hwy. 417) CasselBrewery.ca

Address

Cassel’s new location at 2 Racine St. is now open for business. Hold onto the last strands of cold weather with their Caboose IPA.

Live music fills the taproom in Vankleek Hill every Friday. They also have a food menu, which is served Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

1844 PILSNER

COUNTDOWN

PILSNER

CABOOSE IPA

A M E R I C A N - S T Y L E I PA

Year-round: B,L ABV IBU

4.9% 25

Year-round: B,L,LC ABV IBU

65 King Street West, Brockville 1000IslandsBrewery.ca

STRONG PATRICK

IRISH-STYLE RED ALE Year round: B,L,LC,TBS

6.4% 69

1,000 ISLANDS BREWING CO.

ABV IBU

5% 33

Seasonal: B,L,LC ABV IBU

6.1% 24

BEYOND THE PALE BREWING

250 City Centre Ave., Bay 108, Ottawa BTPShop.ca

BICYCLE CRAFT BREWERY

4 DEGREES BREWING CO.

850 Industrial Ave., Unit 12, Ottawa BicycleCraftBrewery.ca

275 Brockville St., Smiths Falls 4DegreesBrewing.com

ASHTON BREWING COMPANY

113 Old Mill Rd., Beckwith AshtonBrewingCompany.com

PA L E A L E

BIG RIG BREWERY

103 Schneider Rd., Kanata; 1980 Oglivie Road, Gloucester; 2750 Iris Street, Ottawa BigRigBrewery.com

Sponsored content

67

EASTERN ONTARIO

BRAUMEISTER BREWING CO.

19 Moore St., Carleton Place Braumeister.ca

BROADHEAD BREWING CO.

1680 Vimont Ct., Unit 106, Orleans BroadheadBeer.com

CALABOGIE BREWING CO.

12612 Lanark Rd., Calabogie; 105 Schneider Rd. Unit 130, Kanata CalabogieBrewingCo.ca

CARTWRIGHT SPRINGS BREWERY

239 Deer Run Rd., Pakenham CSBeer.ca

CLOCKTOWER BREWPUB

575 Bank St., Ottawa Clocktower.ca

CONSPIRACY THEORY BREWING COMPANY

2172 Robertson Rd., Bells Corners CTBrewing.ca

68

COVERED BRIDGE BREWING

119 Iber Rd., Unit 6, Stittsville CoveredBridgeBrewing.com

CROOKED MILE BREWING

453 Ottawa St., Unit 3, Almonte CrookedMile.ca

DOMINION CITY BREWING CO.

5510 Canotek Rd., Unit 15, Ottawa DominionCity.ca

ÉTIENNE BRÜLÉ BREWERY

893 Notre-Dame St., Embrun EtienneBrule.ca

EVERGREEN CRAFT ALES

21-767 Silver Seven Rd., Ottawa EvergreenCraftAles.com

FLORA HALL BREWING

37 Flora St., Ottawa FloraHallBrewing.ca

EASTERN ONTARIO

HALCYON BARREL HOUSE

10 Terry Fox Dr., Vankleek Hill Halcyon.beer

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS BREWING CO.

25 Thorold Ln., Ingleside HumbleBeginningsBrewing.ca

KICHESIPPI BEER CO.

2265 Robertson Rd., Ottawa KBeer.ca

PERTH BREWERY

121 Dufferin St., Perth PerthBrewery.ca

RIDGE ROCK BREWING CO.

421 Donald B. Munro Dr., Ottawa RidgeRockBrewCo.ca

RURBAN BREWING

412 Cumberland St., Cornwall Website

LOWERTOWN BREWERY

73 York St., Ottawa LowertownBrewery.ca

NITA BEER CO.

190 Colonnade Rd., Unit 17, Ottawa NitaBeer.com

YOUR AD

OVERFLOW BREWING

2477 Kaladar Ave., Ottawa OverflowBeer.com

Contact Matthew Laing-Gibbard to discuss your advertising options in the Growler. matthew@thegrowler.ca 69

EASTERN ONTARIO

SMALL PONY BARREL WORKS

101 Schneider Rd., Kanata SmallPonyBarrelWorks.com

SQUARE TIMBER BREWING CO.

800 Woito Station Rd., Pembroke SquareTimber.com

STALWART BREWING CO.

10 High St., Carleton Place StalwartBrewing.ca

STRAY DOG BREWING CO.

VIMY BREWING COMPANY

145 Loretta Ave. N., Unit 1, Ottawa VimyBrewing.ca

WALLER STREET BREWING

14 Waller St., Ottawa WallerSt.ca

WHITEWATER BREWING CO.

22 Fletcher Rd., Foresters Falls WhitewaterBeer.ca

WINDMILL BREWERY

501 Lacolle Way, Unit 4, Orleans StrayDogBrewing.ca

5 Newport Dr., Johnstown WindmillBrewery.ca

TOOTH AND NAIL BREWERY

WOOD BROTHERS BREWING CO.

3 Irving Ave., Ottawa ToothAndNailBeer.com

TUQUE DE BROUE BREWERY

189 Bay St., Embrun TuqueDeBroue.ca

70

2980 Wylie Rd., North Glengarry WoodBrothersBrewingCo.com

WHIPRSNAPR BREWING CO.

14 Bexley Pl., Ottawa WhiprsnaprBrewingCo.com

C ol lingw o o d, Br u c e & M an i t o u li n BREWERIES 01 Collingwood 74 02 Kilannan 74 03 Manitoulin 74 04 Northwinds 75 05 Outlaw 75 06 Side Launch 75 07 Split Rail 75 08 Thornbury 73 09 Three Sheets 75 10 Tobermory 75

6

03

07

LITTLE CURRENT

10

TOBERMORY

LAKE HURON

6

N W

E

05 09

02

21

08

01 04 06

COLLINGWOOD 6

(Baysville) 74 10 Lake of Bays (Huntsville) 74 11 Muskoka 75 12 Norse 75 13 Redline 75 14 Sawdust City 73 15 Trestle 75

07 Highlander 74 08 Katalyst 74 09 Lake of Bays

Highlands 74

BREWERIES 01 Bancroft 74 02 Barnstormer 74 03 Boshkung 74 04 Clear Lake 74 05 Flying Monkeys 74 06 Haliburton

10

4

Collingwood Bruce Manitoulin map xx. page 71.

26

LAKE HURON

400

12 13

124

92

PARRY SOUND

522

14

09

02 05 13

BARRIE

400 11

117

12

118

BAYSVILLE 08 11

10

GRAVENHURST

04

141

11

SOUTH RIVER

07

35

60

03

Northumberland map xx. page 62.

36 Kawarthas &

49

06

28

W

7

N E

62

BANCROFT

01

Mus k o k a & L a k e S i m c o e

THORNBURY

THORNBURY VILLAGE CIDERY & BREWHOUSE

90 King St E. | ThornburyCraft.com

PICKUP PILSNER ALC/VOL 4.8% IBU 40 The big news here is that 2020 is bringing a full-size, production brewery to Thornbury.

That includes a new patio. For more info see thornburycraft.com/our-story/ RAT RACE SESSION IPA S E S S I O N I PA

B L U E M O U N TA I N LIGHT LAGER

IBU

Come visit us

HELLES LAGER

Year-round: B,L ABV

Brewed with Bohemian Malts, Saaz hops and genuine Czech yeast.

90 KING ST. E., THORNBURY

Year-round: B,L

4.4% 53

ABV IBU

Sun-Thurs 11am-6pm Fri+Sat 11am-8pm

4% 12

GRAVENHURST

THORNBURYCRAFT.COM

LOVE CRAFT?

SAWDUST CITY BREWING CO.

Keep up on your local beer news & seasonal listings.

397 Muskoka Rd. N. SawdustCityBrewing.com

Funkfest, Muskoka’s Sour Beer Festival, is celebrating 5 years on Sat. June 27. With a special addition to this year’s beer lineup, lagers!

Stay tuned for details on tickets.

EVERYDAY MAGIC

HAZY NEW ENG L A N D - S T Y L E I PA Seasonal: B,L,LC ABV IBU

6.9% 45

ELECTRIC STORM S O U R OAT I PA

Seasonal: B,L,LC ABV IBU

6.9% 42

SUBSCRIBE NOW at on.thegrowler.ca/subscribe

Sponsored content

73

COTTAGE COUNTRY

BANCROFT BREWING CO.

4 Hastings St. N., Bancroft Website

BARNSTORMER BREWING & DISTILLING CO.

3-384 Yonge St., Barrie BarnstormerBrewing.com

BOSHKUNG BREWING CO.

9201 ON-118; 20 Water St., Minden Hills BoshkungBrewing.com

CLEAR LAKE BREWING CO.

4651 Southwood Rd., Torrance ClearLakeBrewing.co

COLLINGWOOD BREWERY

10 Sandford Fleming Dr., Collingwood TheCollingwordBrewery.com

FLYING MONKEYS CRAFT BREWERY

107 Dunlop St. E., Barrie FlyingMonkeys.ca

74

HALIBURTON HIGHLANDS BREWING

1067 Garden Gate Dr., Haliburton HaliburtonHighlandsBrewing.ca

HIGHLANDER BREW CO.

309B Hwy. 124, South River HighlanderBrewCo.com

KATALYST BREWING CO.

13 Taylor Rd., Unit D, Bracebridge KatalystBrewing.com

KILANNAN BREWING CO.

103015 Grey County Rd. 18, Owen Sound KilannanBrewing.ca

LAKE OF BAYS BREWING CO.

117-2681 Muskoka District Rd., Baysville; 59 Main St. E., Huntsville LakeOfBaysBrewing.ca

MANITOULIN BREWING CO.

43 Manitowaning Rd., Little Current ManitoulinBrewing.co

COTTAGE COUNTRY

MUSKOKA BREWERY

SPLIT RAIL BREWING CO.

1964 Muskoka Beach Rd., Bracebridge MuskokaBrewery.com

31 Water St., Gore Bay Website

NORSE BREWERY

THREE SHEETS BREWING

11 Ritchie Dr., Carling NorseBrewery.com

NORTHWINDS BREWHOUSE

499 First St., Collingwood NorthwindsBrewery.com

OUTLAW BREW CO.

196 High St., Southampton OutlawBrewCo.com

705 Goderich St., Port Elgin TheWismerHouse.ca

TOBERMORY BREWING CO.

28 Bay St., Tobermory TobermoryBrewingCo.ca

TRESTLE BREWING CO.

9 Great North Rd., Parry Sound TrestleBrewing.com

REDLINE BREWHOUSE

8 & 9-431 Bayview Dr., Barrie RedlineBrewhouse.com

SIDE LAUNCH BREWING CO.

1-200 Mountain Rd., Collingwood SideLaunchBrewing.com

75

BREWERIES

10 Outspoken 81 11 Sleeping Giant 81 12 Spacecraft 81 13 Stack 81 14 Whiskeyjack 81

Superior 81

08 New Ontario 09 Northern

Woods 78 80

01 46 North 80 02 Big Water 80 03 Compass 80 04 Dawson Trail 80 05 Full Beard 80 06 Gateway City 80 07 Lake of the

KENORA

07

W

N

E

11

17

LAKE SUPERIOR

THUNDER BAY

04 11

09 10

SAULT STE. MARIE

17

11

17

101

01 12 13

6

400

SUDBURY

144

TIMMINS

03 05

02 06 08

NORTH BAY

11

14

JAMES BAY

N or t h e rn & N o rt h wes t O n tar i o

KENORA

LAKE OF THE WOODS BREWING CO.

350 2nd St. S. | LOWBrewCo.com

SUN-WED 11AM-11PM ^ THU 11AM-12AM ^ FRI-SAT 11AM-1AM EST. 2013 The opening of their third location (in as many states and provinces) makes this a craft beer powerhouse. And Lake of the Woods continues to refine their offerings with updates like a brand-new, wood-fired pizza oven at their Kenora taproom.

LAKESIDE

FORGOTTEN LAKE

KÖ L S C H

B L U E B E R RY A L E

Year-round: B,L,LC ABV

5%

IBU

Year-round: B,L,LC

6

ABV

A balanced lagered ale whose subtlety qualifies it as an all-year-round session beer.

7.1

IBU

13

Strong fan favourite with balance and blueberry-patch aroma. Hides alcohol well.

CHANNEL MARKER

NAUTICAL DISASTER

Year-round: B,L,LC

Year-round: B,L,LC

AMERICAN-STYLE LIGHT LAGER

ABV

4

IBU

A M E R I C A N - S T Y L E I PA

11

ABV

Magnum and citra hops add interesting notes to this sessionable, thirst-quenching lager.

6.2

IBU

55

Tropical pineapple and bright citrus announce this dry-hopped IPA with plenty of malt balance.

Now Brewing in 3 Locations Our flagship location in Kenora, Ont. was joined in summer 2019 by a location in Warroad, MN on the south end of the Lake of the Woods. Late last year, our Hargrave Street Market location opened in Winnipeg!

Closing the loop around Lake of the Woods with our locations in Ontario, Manitoba and Minnesota.

78

Sponsored content

NORTH BAY

Get dressed!

Look as good as the beer you drink.

GATEWAY CITY BREWERY

600-612 Gormanville Rd., Unit 206 GatewayCity.ca

Vox Choir is a community drop-in choir that happens at the brewery every second Wednesday. No commitment or previous experience required. All ages welcome!

KLOCK AVE. B R OW N A L E

shop growler merch at thegrowler.ca

Unit 1-1275 Kelly Lake Rd., Sudbury 46North.ca

BIG WATER BREWING CO.

123 McIntyre St. W. , North Bay Facebook.com/BigWaterBrewing

COMPASS BREWING

20-1300 Riverside Dr., Timmins CompassBrewing.com

80

IMPERIAL RED

Seasonal: B,L ABV

subscriptions • t-shirts • hats • & more

46 NORTH BREWING CO.

DEVIL’S DESERT

IBU

Seasonal: B,L

6.5% 30

ABV IBU

7.5% 55

DAWSON TRAIL CRAFT BREWERY

905 Copper Cres., Thunder Bay DawsonTrailCraftBrewery.com

FULL BEARD BREWING CO.

219 Wilson Ave., Timmins FullBeardBrewing.com

NEW ONTARIO BREWING CO.

1881 Cassells St., North Bay NewOntarioBrewing.com

Sponsored content

NORTHERN & NORTHWEST ONTARIO

NORTHERN SUPERIOR BREWING CO.

50 Pim St., Sault Ste. Marie NorthernSuperior.org

OUTSPOKEN BREWING

350 Queen St. E., Sault Ste. Marie OutspokenBrewing.com

SLEEPING GIANT BREWING CO.

712 Macdonell St., Thunder Bay SleepingGiantBrewing.ca

SPACECRAFT BREWERY

854 Notre Dame Ave., Sudbury Facebook.com/Spcrft

STACK BREWING

1350 Kelly Lake Rd.; 947 Falconbridge Rd., Subbury StackBrewing.ca

WHISKEYJACK BEER CO.

485 Ferguson Ave., Haileybury WhiskeyjackBeer.ca

Give your customers a reason to

drop in

AND

hang out

Carry us in your brewery, tap room or store and your customers will keep coming back for more.

Contact matthew@thegrowler.ca to order your copies.

ONTARIO craft beer guide

81

BEER GROUND To the

As soon as the groundhog gives us the go-ahead to take the snow tires off the car, let’s hit the road and visit some of Ontario’s new taprooms.

3 BREWERS

Greater Toronto Area (winter 2019) Late last year, the Montreal-based chain of brewpubs announced that it was closing four of its outposts in the GTA. The restaurants on Adelaide, in Liberty Village, the Heartland Centre in Mississauga and Richmond Hill have all been shuttered. The Toronto-area spots downtown at Yonge and Dundas and in Oakville are staying open. The group also has Ontario locations in other parts of the province, including a pair in the Ottawa area. @3brewersyonge

BREWERS BLACKBIRD BREWERY

Ancaster (fall 2019) The Rousseau House, a longtime favourite with locals in the Hamilton area, has rebranded and added an on-site brewery. To start, the house-brewed lineup included a pale ale and a lager. They also have revamped the menu to focus on wood-fired pizza and beer-friendly snacks. @brewersblackbird

CANVAS BREWING

Huntsville (winter 2019) Canadian Beer News reports that Jeffrey Woodworth and Steve Koncan’s brewery has opened after nearly two years of planning, contract brewing and construction.

On opening day the tap list including options from other local breweries and two of their own—Canvas kölsch and Ember red ale. The spot at 12 John St., in downtown Huntsville, is easy to find because of the eye-catching wildlife murals. @canvasbrewing

FENELON FALLS BREWING

Fenelon Falls (fall 2019) The last piece of the brewery puzzle fell into place for Vinh and Agatha Mac when their taproom opened in November

2019. It is in the old stone builiding—next to Lock 34 where the Trent-Severn joins Cameron Lake—that has also been home to the brewery and retail store. @fenelonbrewco

FORKED RIVER BREWING

London (winter 2020) One of the best-known breweries in the region has opened a newly renovated taproom. It brings a jump from 11 to 19, including one for house-made soda. Feb 1 was the big launch part for the new digs, which includes more seating for guests. @forkedriver

MEUSE BREWING

Scotland, ON (summer 2020) Mischa Geven and Estelle van Kleef are adding an entry to southwestern Ontario’s list of farm-based breweries. Geven brings his experience as head brewer at New Limburg to the project. Judging by their introductory beer, a saison that’s available at local bars and restaurants, the plan is to stick to a similarly Belgian-style programme.

They are aiming to have the brewery fully open by summer. @meusebrewing

THREE SHEETS BREWING

Port Elgin (winter 2020) The Wismer House (or “The Wiz” to locals), a pub and restaurant in Lake Huron’s cottage country launched their in-house brewery in December 2019.

Three Sheets started with summer-friendly offerings like Slo Pitch pilsner and Road Closure red ale.

They’re brewing under contract at an off-site facility while construction is underway at 705 Goderich St. @threesheetscraftbrewing j What other craft beer news should we know about? Send tips about brewery openings to david@ thegrowler.ca.